Why did you enroll at AU? We each have our individual reasons, but I’m willing to bet many students matriculated here because of the common and accurate perception that AU is a force for social justice. AU students care about the environment and minority groups. We give tragedies like genocide and natural disasters much more than lip service. We’re advocates, we’re in the know and we take action. We don’t have the pompous reputation of Georgetown students nor the cutthroat mentality like George Washington. AU carries a humanitarian connotation that means more to us than ‘Wonk’ ever could.
As seniors inch closer toward their graduation ceremony and graduate students scramble to secure paid positions, it seems a good time to reflect why we came here to begin with.
I author a blog named, ConArtist. Its subtitle reads, “I haven’t sold out yet, but I’m willing to negotiate.” I created it during my senior year of undergraduate and the subtitle is intended to be humorous. I think. Sometimes I wonder if I’m as susceptible to the allure of fast cars, fancy dinners and box seats as the next guy. Am I looking to sell out faster than Keenan Cahill (YouTube Usher’s “DJ Got Us Falling in Love”)? Am I willing to compromise my principles and values for a fat paycheck?
Are you? In this bleak economy we may have little choice. Beggars can’t be choosers.
We’ve all acquired marketable skills, worked internships, attended resume and cover-letter workshops, but perhaps we lost sight of our long-term career trajectory. Let’s face it, many of the jobs we’re interested in don’t pay as much as the fat cats salivating over cufflinks working at Goldman Sachs. (Here’s looking at you, Kogod.) Some face the dilemma of selling-out, where others see the ambition and ebullience they entered with (toward selfless causes) become secondary to accepting any position that’s willing to provide the Benjamins to put food on the table.
It’s hard to feed the world when we’re barely getting enough ourselves.
Throughout my first year, I’ve listened to numerous guest speakers attest to their professional experience. One pervasive theme sticks out: do what you love. It amazes me how many professionals noted that more lucrative options existed and originally they fell for the temptation and accepted these jobs. It’s pretty cool to be fresh out of school earning upwards of $50,000. It’s pretty hard to turn down. But time after time, when the speakers reflected on that pinnacle of success (financially), they remembered who they really were. They encountered a point where the expensive suits fit well physically, but each time they examined themselves before a mirror, they looked ugly. They were unhappy, until they remembered what really matters. They harkened back to their roots, the passions of their early 20’s and they quit what they were doing to start anew. They accepted less money and gained immeasurably.
Obviously, it’s a tad easier to accrue work experience and then transition. As neophytes to the “real” world we don’t have the years of experience or second page of a résumé to entice the non-profits we’re applying to. Apply anyway. If an attractive position at a firm is offered but it’s choice number four, we don’t have to rearrange it to choice number one. We can be patient and persevere, continuing to seek out places that are more conducive to assisting others and not just padding our personal bank accounts.
I’m not against living comfortably or making money. After all the hard work and debt incurred from college, we deserve nothing less. I only pause to remember who we really are, remember why we chose AU and remember what really matters.
Conor Shapiro is a graduate student in the School of International Service and a liberal columnist.
