Future Thoughts

I’ve been thinking a lot about my future recently.

Mainly involving what I want to do when I graduate and at what stage of my relationship I will be in with my boyfriend.

I used to have a good idea of what career to follow, but as I think more and more about it, my mind changes at every thought junction.

I thought that research in the area of Astrophysics would be my main path, but learning about what my lecturers and their colleagues research and how they go about it have put me off a little. Most of the time, they are in their office, analysing data, writing up theoretic papers, teaching and marking working.

It just seems to be an office job to me.

Some of the professors do visit amazing places to meet people in the same field that they are and that sounds brilliant, but it’s unlikely that every position in research has the ability to travel so often. Even though a few of lecturers have missed classes because they have been away at conferences, I don’t think that, for me, this out ways the con of being in an office most of the time.

I enjoy helping others and I do like the idea of teaching but I can’t help but feel that I can do better career-wise.

Maybe I can’t do better, but the hope is enough for me to wager other options.

I’m in my second year at the moment and a lot of people on my course have been applying for Summer internships. I have no idea at all of where I would apply. I’ve searched online but all I seem to find are University based research internships.

I miss the creative side of things. Last year we had two presentations. One on a lab experiment I did presented individually and another on a chosen topic in groups. I really enjoyed these exercises. I love sharing ideas, talking to people. There is a presentation task later in the year and I’m really looking forward to it. But I want to find a job that I enjoy just as much.

I know it’s not the be all and end all of it. I can change my mind later but I want to give myself the best chance with lots of preparation, knowledge and experience to offer.

I know I’m not changing places yet. I’ve potentially got two more years of study after this one but I like to think ahead and have some idea of where I’m going.

Where ever that may be.