WORLD WE IMAGINE POST #1
Similarly to Novogratz, my first step in making the world a better place is to pursue a career that gives me the opportunity to do so. As a wide-eyed (yet close minded) college freshman, my career path had everything to do with material gain and almost nothing to do with helping others. I wanted to become an investment banker working 70-hour-weeks, making tons of money, and retiring early. That all changed when I took Stephen Finlay's philosophy course, The Meaning of Life. Finlay's course required me to look deep into the catacombs of the meaning behind our existence, forcing me to realize the futility of material desire. I quickly realized that the path I was on was one of fleeting pleasure and insatiable sensual hunger. For the next three years, I explored different career paths in investment banking, construction, waitering at a high-end sushi restaurant, and social work. Out of those experiences, my time as a social worker held supreme.
After that experience, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career that focused in helping others. This realization has made me rethink my career path. Already three years into my business degree, I am committed to graduating from USC's Marshall School of Business. However, after graduating, I plan on attending another institution to pursue a degree in Psychology, eventually making my way into the realm of therapy. Though working as a therapist is completely different from working for an NGO like Novogratz, it is nonetheless still a means of bettering this world. If every person in this world strived to follow a career that, appealing to their natural strengths, bettered this world, I truly believe we could achieve Novogratz's goal of establishing basic human rights for all people.
Hi Mason,
ReplyDeleteSimilar to you I also want a career path that helps people. Helping others, I have learned, gives me more joy as a person than receiving any sort of gift from anyone. My suggestion for something you can do now is be a part of as many clubs here at USC that align with social work or anything to do with therapy. Although you are a business major, you can still integrate your experiences and interests into other parts of your academic career. Furthermore, I took a class called BUCO 485 in Marshall that emphasized Nonprofit Organizations. The class is taught by Dr. Owens, and he has numerous guest speakers come in throughout the semester. I think you would thoroughly enjoy the class... it has been one of my favorites ever at USC. I hope that you find fulfillment in your future career and I admire you exploring options beyond IB so you can live happily with your life.
-Zoë
Hey Mason,
ReplyDeleteIt's extremely rare to have a Marshall graduate not go into IB or consulting, so good job! Your paper definitely gave me a lot to think about because I never wanted to join those two fields, but now I feel like I have to. However, you make a good point about separating your job from the futility of financial gain. Maybe your idea for making a world a better place could include motivational speaking? But, your therapy idea is really good and it will better the lives of people. My advice would be to become a therapist for those who cannot afford one. I feel like people who have enough money to pay for their mental health are the only ones who go to therapy.
- Ellie Aguirre