My Next Life

I don't think I could put this any better myself:

A Post to Your Future Self

Calen,

You need to remember a few very important things in life, especially that you should not change your life plans for anyone else. That is just how you end up being let down and feeling guilty. Make plans and keep them. Do not change your plans for someone, because chances are they will change their plans on you, and you will be the one left alone. Even when you think they are different and they will feel bad, they won't, and they won't come back for you, so stick to your guns, do what's best for you, and be happy. Nothing will make you happier than doing something for yourself, regardless of how tough it may be, or how much it hurts at the time. Pick your future plans only based on yourself, because you can't expect someone else to change their plans for you and you need to look out for what's best for you. It is scary growing up and having to make possibly the first real adult decisions that will forever affect your future, but that's just it-its your future, so you have to do it for you. No one else can tell you what the future holds or how you should handle it, so when you pick your own route, you must be accountable for it and learn to keep your chin up and deal with it. Life is rough, but what doesn't kill you always makes you stronger, so be independent; you always have been, don't change now.

<3

The "Importance" of Liberal Arts

Today was the University of Pittsburgh annual fall Career Fair at the Petersen Event Center. My friend Jess and I got up early, got all dressed up, went and had a delicious breakfast at Panera, and caught the bus up to the Pete early for a special Networking Event prior to the start of the fair. Since I'm graduating in December, I was really excited to go and find myself a job for the spring semester while I'm still in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, all I found was a lot of frustration. The university stresses the importance of liberal arts, but at Career Fairs such as this one, there were very few employers looking for anyone but a business or engineering student. Some were looking for biological/hard science majors, but rarely were there any for social sciences and the humanities. I love anthropology and linguistics and I love the courses I've taken and I love the experiences I've had, but would I really have been better off taking a different path in school and pursuing a different interest of mine-say, in finance?!

Its incredibly frustrating, as I am an Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for an Introduction to Arts and Sciences class, and I'm constantly stressing to them the importance of the liberal arts, with required readings, etc. Pitt even makes all Arts and Science students take a series of General Education requirements, spanning the whole range of courses, requiring focus on the liberal arts. But then, is this how I'm getting rewarded for this-by multiple rejections from potential employers?

Travel and Growing Up

I want to go somewhere. Yesterday, I worked on updating my travel blog and I think it gave me the travel fever again. I still need to update about my travels in Latin America, but all of Europe is complete (only like a year later).

I would love for travel to be cheaper, then I would go visit my best friend in Australia and my boyfriend in Albany, NY. Did you know that a plane ticket to Albany, NY from Pittsburgh, PA is $350?!? And that's not even at a peak time, like a long weekend-I was going to try to go for Labor Day weekend, but that's even more expensive, so virtually impossible. He only moved back to Albany three days ago, but it seems like a lifetime since I've seen him last. Which is lame, perhaps, but he left while Jess was in Vegas with Kate, and Anna's been in Australia for a month already, and I just felt very sad and alone when he left.

It's just strange; we're actually growing up. I'm looking into graduate schools and plans for after graduation, people are getting engaged and married, we're all going our own directions and moving away. It's scary and weird after spending the last 3-4 years with these people, some of them you may never see again. Not that that's

necessarily a bad thing, but it will suck to see the people I do actually care about move away, or for me to move away from them. I grew up here in Oakland, really. I became the person I am now, the person who will make the major decisions of my life. Its terrifying really, but I do have good friends and a wonderful boyfriend, all of whom will listen to me, be great sounding boards, and let me know their opinions on my potential life paths.

But really, does life ever get any easier from here?