Da Future.

I've been having a bit of an existential crisis as of late.
For as long as I can remember, I've always been the girl who has known what she wants to do with her life. I had a ten year plan that involved law school, Washington D.C., Congress, and changing the world. But since last summer, those dreams have been quickly dwindling. It's terrifying...I've never been the 4.0 student, or the dancer, or the prom queen. But I've always been the driven one. The one that was going to make it big and make a difference. And then, I had nothing. Nothing to rely on. Nothing to give me hope while dying in small increments at Susquehanna HellHole.
Last night, however, I watched a History channel special on the Klan. It reminded me of my passion for civil rights and helping the underserved. I felt that fire in my belly again.
I did some googling of 'civil rights jobs' and found a plethora of careers and positions that made me excited for life again. Cody and I are hoping to move to Portland next summer, so I looked up civil rights resources in that area. Low and behold, Portland State University (go Vikings!) has a wonderful social work masters program, and a great women's studies certificate program. And if we live in Oregon for a year before I apply, I get to pay the in-state fee. And compared to Susquehanna, grad school tuition is chump change. With that degree, I could easily work at a women's shelter, a civil rights advocacy organization (ACLU, holla!), or even teach. It would be a career that I could exercise anywhere, and would allow me a broad range of employment opportunities. The degree would also give me an edge over other employment candidates. It would be a solid career that would give me a stable salary and good benefits. And greatest of all, I'd actually be making a difference in people's lives. It might not be on a federal scale, but honestly, Congressmen don't do anything positive for American people. It's a big, bureaucratic poopfest. But of course, I'm a liberal. So I think everything needs to be reformed.
Who knows...my career goals have shifted wildly from day-to-day as of late, so I'm a little scared that next week this line of thought will no longer be attractive. But this feels real. This feels solid. I feel good again.