Oh my word

I got an email this morning that is kind of a big deal. I'll let you read the text for yourself, it'll be more to the point than I can be.

Hi Bethany Bernard,

I am happy to inform you that you have been accepted into the MPA* program at UIC for Fall 2008. Congratulations!

I am attaching your official admissions letter to this email and I will send the original in the mail as well.

Please let me know if I can do anything else for you. Again, congratulations!

Best,
Sharon

Sharon Sanders
Visiting Program Coordinator
Department of Public Administration
College of Urban Planning and Public Affairs
University of Illinois at Chicago

*Masters of Public Administration

I called my dad and told him, and he said, "Yay! Now what?" And I, laughing, said, "I don't know."

There are two main questions I need to answer before July 15 (the deadline for submitting my letter of intent): 1) Is this the direction I want to go? and 2) How will I pay for it?

If I can satisfactorily answer both of those, I'm off Chicago this August.

All together now, "Oh. My. Word."

The other degrees I have been considering pursuing are: Applied Economics, Mathematics or Statistics, or some kind of Education degree.

I'm having trouble deciding what to pursue and how to pursue it. I want a career where I can use what I uniquely have to offer, something with problem solving and critical thinking, where communication is important, with a little bit of creativity, and most importantly, that helps other people. That job description is both naively specific and unproductively vague. It gives me no clue as to what industry or title I should search for.

I don't want a job that requires strong managerial and organizational skills. Though I am improving in those areas, I know I would be a disappointment to those who hire me for that. I don't have a comparative advantage.

For the past couple of weeks, I've mostly been thinking about business consulting and teaching. I know I would be excellent in either of those roles, but they are also a bit further out of reach. Getting an MPA would not preclude me from those career options, only delay them. It would probably also enhance my abilities and my opportunities. I just don't want to graduate with this degree and find myself stuck managing a non-profit or doing footwork for a politician. Really, I would cry.

As for how to pay for it, that is a complicated question, and I'll let you know when I figure it out.