Making plans

Now, before you start writing down your horrifically insulting and bullying comments that seem to accompany all ‘Prince’ columns, hear me out. I know I could watch TV, read a book or go volunteer, and in all likelihood I will fill my time with a combination of those, but for now I am enjoying this new-found freedom and moment of clarity.

About a week ago a friend of mine sent me an article about Tim Ferriss. In it he explains how he and a group of friends set out to accomplish the 100 things on their bucket list and have spent the last five years amassing stories and adventures as well as helping others do the same. What made this more than just an interesting story was that in it he included a six-step checklist and guide to “cross anything off your bucket list.” My first thought was, “Six steps?!” I have more than those per day. But then I realized that in my adherence to a strict bucket list I had missed the greater issue. In seeking to finish the list of objectives we have missed figuring out what the goal is.

Starting this year I had a very clear set of objectives. Apply for jobs, interview for jobs, pass classes, turn in thesis, graduate. Yes, I had factored in that I wanted to enjoy this year with my friends and learn as much as possible. However, what I had not thought of was the purpose of my goal. What was the point of graduating if I didn’t know where I wanted to end up? In my strict adherence to the minimal and micro-level checklists that I organized, I never stopped to question what the larger picture was and what the larger motivation should be.

It is in that way, and through watching one too many episodes of “DC Cupcake,” that I realized this was a major gap in my education. I knew what steps were expected of me, but I never questioned where I was heading and why that was even the right path. That is something that is hard to write down on the list and even harder to check off.

But in fact that is the most important part — the part that I think is often missing from our very structured lives at Princeton. I commend efforts like the Imagine Series that Career Services runs as well as the great guest lecturers that come and speak with us about where they ended up and their unconventional paths. However, what I think is missing is establishing how this can work for individual students. I want to know what I should do; I want there to be a space and a forum for us to look deeper into where we want to end up and what path we want to follow. This could be through more brainstorming, more panel discussions or simply reshaping the conversation from finding the immediate next step to looking further beyond that point.

A few months ago I wrote “'Looking for The One,'” an article about the confusion of being unable to know what to do next. But now that I have found what I am going to do next year, I realize that it is not about ‘The One’ but about the many steps. It is not just about what you are going to do in the year after graduation but about the bigger picture. It is about finding out what we should do long term — not just next year — that has been overlooked by students and at times by Career Services. In our meetings about job applications and our rush to secure something — anything — for next year, we often miss taking a moment to consider where we want to be in five, 10 or 50 years.

Going forward, Princeton students should give this as much thought and weight as figuring out what to do in the immediate future since, after all, if the checklist is only six steps long, it is about time we figure out where it is heading.

Kerry Brodie is a Near Eastern Studies major from Potomac, Md. She can be reached at kbrodie@princeton.edu.