My degree is called MSPPM

I have not sat down and written anything substantive about myself in a long time.   I thought I would do so tonight, as I for the first in a very long time, find myself a little bored. I finished graduate school this week, I have no job prospects on the horizon, and don’t have a lot on my plate.

That is right. You heard it hear first, I am officially done with graduate school.   I have earned my Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon and I have no idea what I am doing with my life. Now, those of you who know me, probably think I am freaking out.   I have another surprise for you. I am not freaking out at all. Actually, I am not worried.   Weird, right? I actually find in laughable.

I know things like this work out for me some how. I have a great network of people and whenever I am in crisis things figure themselves out. So I am writing about how I am not freaked out now, and how silly I was to think an expensive piece of paper would make my life better.

I think back to a year ago when I had just returned from Ecuador. I was convinced a graduate program was going to open doors, and give me access to a career path, inaccessible at the time. Somewhere, near the beginning of the second semester is when I started realizing that was not going to be true.

Now don’t get me wrong.   I am not saying I didn’t learn things. I learned some really great things. I am more comfortable with statistics than I have ever been in my life. Linear programming is something I find really fascinating, and I understand why Monte Carlo simulations are wicked kewl.   Where did all of that get me? Well, not far.

On the job-hunting front, I have slowed down the rate I have been applying to jobs. The end of the semester really did me in, so I need to get back on the ball. Do you want to know the problem I am having?   I don’t really care what I do.   Not really at all. I have applied to everything from an Executive Director position to a population researcher.

Fact: I have applied to 51 positions and have had phone interviews for two of them. I did not get a second interview from either of those places.   Freaked out?   No, seriously, I am laughing.   A degree in public policy and management? What in the world is happening to society such that we are giving out degrees in that now?

I will never understand what made me think the void between professional vocational training and proper academic training was a great place to land. Ugh, silly Josh. You are probably saying, “What else would you be doing now?” I have no idea, and your question is pretty silly if you think I can answer questions about alternate realities.

Oh well. This is the professional update. I will tell you about personal updates in the next post.

Total Student Loan (Undergrad and Grad)

Current Principal Balance:	$63,932.41
Accrued Interest:	$2,183.26
Late Fees:	$0.00

Listened to: Dance Yrself Clean from the album “This Is Happening” by LCD Soundsystem