Politics. I live it, I breathe it, I enjoy it. I love politics, following the news, reading about government policies, meeting new people and building relationships with them. If you've focused on the last few words and I ask you to guess my major, most people would say I should consider politics. In fact, even friends close to me have told me in the past that I should do that. That being said, my major isn't political science. It is Public Relations. Do I love the classes? Yes? First choice? Maybe not.
I always knew I wanted to get into something that involves government, I even got a small scholarship from UC Santa Cruz to come study politics. Way in the past, but it happened and if that does not speak to my passion for the subject yet, I don't really know what does.
With each growing moment of my life, I have longed to go back and figure more about myself through internships. I gained an internship in public affairs during my sophomore year in college and loved it. I then sold my skill set for an HR intern position with a Private Equity firm in Chicago. I know HR may not be the same as public affairs or public relations but it sure is second love. Its almost as if public relations or public affairs did not exist then what would I do? Human Resources.
Honestly, while I am fine with going back to India and working in Public Relations and Public Affairs, I am not too excited, just fine. It's work, and I'll find a good company, I know. The clients would also be good, I know. But at this point in life, I am not sure if I want to stay in the US or not. At the outset, it is easy for people to ask where I would like to work, but even if finding work as an international student in this country wasn't as difficult as it is, I have only lived in dorms for a majority of my time in the US and West Lafayette is not the same as the United States, to judge the US on the basis of West Lafayette is plain wrong.
The choice isn't that easy back home either. Before I came to Purdue, I lived in a cacoon, literally. My life revolved around school, malls, home, supplemental instructions and dad's office. So to say that I even know India would be plain wrong. When my mom asked me where I wanted to live after this, I was stuck, I still am, I don't have an answer. But I am totally considering applying to the US for several positions and reaching out to people to help.
if these worries weren't enough, the amount of money I will earn in the long run is also something that is bogging me down. I won't really want a lot of money for myself (okay, tbh, low key I do, but that's the greed in me), I want it for my parents. I want just enough so that they can buy whatever they want without having to think again, that's it. So far I am going back and forth in further education between MBA and Law with a second master's in International Relations.
So far, from the sound of it, Corporate Law sounds good because it helps me understand business and policy at the same time. But at the same time, it's a long way to go and I still have time.
So Sam? Everything will be fine.