Lying in bed and not being able to sleep, I found myself quite preoccupied with the future and what was in store for me over the next couple years. I decided to organize my thoughts somewhat.

I organize this by academic year because I know that I intend to continue in academic life for a few more years after my graduation from Evergreen.

Short Term: 2005-2006
I am currently working on a dual BS/BA at Evergreen in Computer Science and Writing, respectively. If I decide to chicken out on the Computer Science curriculum after Fall quarter, I have one program I really want to take — A Novel Idea, which is a full-immersion novel writing class that would finally give me no excuse but to work on the novel that I’ve been kicking around for so long. Of course, if I drop out of the Computer Science curriculum, that’ll lock out some of my future choices, which will make everything else significantly easier in terms of academic planning.

I also need to sign up to take the GRE and the GMAT, though I also need to do some assessment testing to see what path makes the most sense. Doing both the GRE and GMAT will leave my options open down the road so that I have those scores when I choose to go to graduate school.

I’m glad that’s a when, not an if. At least that part is settled.

There are other short-term choices I need to think about, such as applying for the Assistant to the Director position in the Writing Center come Spring Quarter (which I will definitely be doing).

Two Years Out: 2006-2007
If I’m not in the Assistant to the Director position, then this will be an interesting transition period where I will likely find another job while I plan my next step into graduate school or other work.

Three Years Out: 2007-2008
At this point, there are several options which all seem to me quite interesting, but I’m not sure how many are practical. I know I need to be doing one of them to be happy with the way my life is going by this point.

• Graduate School: Business
  This one is really appealing to me because I have always been interested in business and the way businesses operate. I’ve taken a number of business programs at Evergreen which I enjoyed, which really makes this appealing. I also have a huge interest in sustainability, so the ability to combine sustainability and business (via an MBA through Bainbridge Graduate Institute) would be great. I’m not sure how this would fit into my life versus a normal MBA with no sustainability focus, however.
• Graduate School: Creative Writing/Writing
  Writing has always been and continues to be a part of my life. My job at Evergreen’s Writing Center has been the best job I’ve ever had, hands down, and being immersed in that culture has allowed me to perceive writing from many different lenses. I can see myself still being a very active part of writing culture as a novelist or short story writer. I would also not be adverse to returning to the world of writing centers through a role as a director or educator.
• Graduate School: Teaching
  For some people, this one makes no sense given what they know about me. However, I’m interested in how education can mold and influence future generations and how they interact with the planet and society. Changing the minds of children for positive means can change the future for the better. I believe in effecting change however possible; this is also why a sustainable MBA focus would be good for me, since that, in and of itself, is changing the way businesses think about the world.
• Graduate School: Computer Science/Computer-related field
  Of everything so far, this one, right now, feels very unlikely. However, I keep in mind that my foray back into computer science next quarter is intended to allow me to determine once and for all whether computer science (or computer-related disciplines) is something I wish to pursue as a long-term commitment. There are no concretes about this yet at all. I put it here because it may still be a viable option.
• Teach for America
  Of everything so far, this one is the one that feels like the biggest leap. I’ve always been interested in Teach for America and its philosophy of extending education into places that need quality teachers, but I’ve never really considered whether this is something I would fit into. It’s something that has crossed my mind numerous times and that would be very enriching for me if I chose to do it, but it would also delay my graduate school plans (which would still be in place after my two year commitment to the program, more than likely).

This may shift depending on whether I rule out Teach for America as an option I want to pursue.