This week, I had an occasion to eat in Haverford’s dining hall. Plenty of Mawrters do that; our swipe cards work at both places, and it comes in handy when you have a class or friends over there. This was no social outing, however. I attended a job talk for an actual position at an actual company that I might take after graduation. To say the least, as a sophomore who declared her major 4 short months ago, this was a daunting meeting. Especially since only 3 people showed up and the recruiter actually wanted us to interact with her. Luckily, she was very nice, a common characteristic of those who work in the field that I want to go in. After graduation, I want to work with children with special needs and help them to live the most full and independent lives possible. There are more ways to do this than I ever imagined, and when I first started looking into the field, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of possibilities of things that I could be when I grew up. Every one of those job titles: special education teacher, clinical psychologist, ABA specialist, speech-language pathologist, to name a few; would fulfill my dream. I have by no means decided which path I am going to take, but I am getting a better picture of what each path looks like through things like this job talk. This particular company could provide a wide variety of wonderful opportunities for me, including training in one of the leading autism interventions, financial help pursuing a master’s degree, and, perhaps the most intriguing of all, a stint working in their office in Abu Dhabi.
Even though it was scary to be thinking about my future in such concrete terms, it was that little detail that made the whole thing less daunting. Imagining myself working with autistic kids in Abu Dhabi, exploring and enjoying a new part of the world, was as wonderful and exciting as imagining my future had been when I was a kid and I wanted to be a circus performer. I may never work for that company, but I will probably work for like that. The idea of working in such an exotic place reminded me of how I should feel when contemplating any new career, even in the States. I should be excited. It should feel like an adventure, something that I just can’t wait to do.