On days when I am feeling a wee bit unhappy in this graduate student life (such as today, for instance, which was actually quite a nice day except that I did not write my final paper as I had planned and thus felt guilty all day), I like to think about what I would do with myself if I decide to drop out of grad school. Here's a preliminary and partial list:
1) I could be a server at a restaurant. In fact, I have always had a fascination with doing this; I think it would be a great vantage point from which to observe people. My friends who work at restaurants tell me that it is not so interesting, but I am undeterred.
2) I could be an editor. I have a wicked keen eye for grammar and spelling, and I am good at clarifying ideas (other people's, at least, if not always my own). I am the go-to editorial consultant for several of my friends, and I always find it to be satisfying.
3) I could be a psychologist. Actually, this would involve quite a bit more graduate school, and is therefore unlikely. But I adore my own therapist so much that I can't help wanting to be just like her.
4) I could be a high school teacher. I've worked a lot with high school students and enjoy them quite a bit. Although I do have some qualms about institutional politics and lack of academic freedom. (Actually I have the same qualms about teaching at the college level- oh dear).
5) I could be a writer. I think that one of the greatest contributions one can make to humanity is to write a really good novel, and I dearly hope to do this one day even if I remain within the academic profession; Amitav Ghosh is something of a hero to me in this regard. I also like writing poems, although I have only written around 10 that I actually consider to be any good.
6) I could open a bakery. One of my classmates is planning to open one if she drops out of grad school, and we get along well, so perhaps we could do it together. I have to admit, I would be shamelessly modeling myself after Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal's character in "Stranger than Fiction.")
7) I could be a nanny. I like kids and I like taking care of them, for the most part; however, I am a little too absent-minded sometimes for that kind of responsibility. But the other day my mom told me that my 6-year-old sister is looking forward to me coming home for Christmas because I am, as she said, "a good cuddler." Oh, my melting heart.
8) I could be a clergy-person of some sort. I like hearing about people's religious beliefs and helping them to sort the beliefs out so that they can live by the ones that are helpful and get rid of the ones that are crappy. At this point, I am probably too much in the process of sorting my own beliefs out to be of much use to anyone else, but the option is nevertheless appealing.
I'm out of ideas for now, so I'm going to sleep so that I can get up in the morning and take another shot at being a grad student. If you have other career suggestions for me, I'll gladly take them into consideration.
EDIT: 9) I could be an ASL interpreter! Can't believe I forgot this one. It would require more school (maybe 3-4 semesters), but I already know a fair bit of ASL and I think I'd like the work, given my interests in linguistics and communication. Plus, I hear it pays well.
EDIT #2: 10) I could be a professional person-who-gets-bumped-from-airline-flights. There's got to be a more concise way to say that (flight bumpee?) See my "Airport Musings" post for a fanciful calculation of how I could actually make a living doing this.
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