Part 2 of The Ultimate College Guide

Options turn out be quite useful for pray being cornered by K9 German shepherd like questions about future usually starting with something like that: Well, so, now that you’re done with school, what cha gonna do my friend?

What cha gonna do my friend?

Today’s college guide will depict all my options, that are all open, not compulsory and merely serve as a collections of what’s possible from the point I’m at right now. Post-Matura-Identity crisis is the political correct term for this turning-with-the-winds (”orientational” state of mind.

My Options, all open · photo by ed tarwinski

As I laid out my associations with my dream job in last weeks edition of I’m On My Way, I haven’t quite told you about options apart from the optimistic and not so realistic approach. It sounds great to think that you’ll climb the ladder of success, end up as a CEO of a huge company and retire with a 1 billion compensation after 40 years of heart-attack-promoting years, right? It’s just that I don’t want to end up like this fellow who’s job isn’t rewarding and full of changes at all.

Career Options

Interviewers often come up with the following question that prospective students are afraid of and struggle with thinking of an answer that pleases admission committees. Not so much in university but in college application matters (American colleges and Austrian Fachhochschulen)…

• Where do you see yourself in 10 Years?
• What do you expect from this branch of study?
• Why are you the one we should admit to our university?

As it is now, I don’t see myself on a typical Fachhochschule. I’m done with school, it’s time for something new, something that is clearly different from what I’ve been doing for the last 12 (13 with community service) years. However, asking yourself these questions (committees ask them for a reason) can help to locate yourself in the jungle of studies and shouldn’t evoke question marks in your minds.

In this part of “I’m On My Way” I’m going to deal with the 3 questions posted above. Here, as the post title suggests are my options. All open…

Option #1: MBA and International Relations

After having a short glimpse at my mind mapping, it seems like Option #1 is the only true way for me to go. As it is now, this obviously is my first choice. I want to work for a company, deal in international business relations, be a joint member for interactions and get to see the world. This would combine all my interests of today.

But what about tomorrow? Do I want to be a family dad who doesn’t get to see his kids’ baseball games (okay, if I stay in Austria, this would be soccer games, hah!) because he is in a meeting for Asian trade negotiations. Job and family are combinable and thinking about this might sound weird to you, but I saw how the last years passed by and I can’t just pretend that I’m always going to be a single flying around in the world like nothing like this mattered to me.

Option #2: Teaching English

After a really great career as a private tutor during my high school years, I did have success with kids and their special teaching needs. It really was joy to watch kids evolve in a language and improve on so many levels. Not just in a language but also helping them how to study efficiently.

This option would require a choice of subject I would also love to teach next to English since university wants you to pick a minimum of two subjects. I have no idea what subject that should be, and if I say “no idea” I have absolutely no clue. Nada. Maybe Spanish (starting from scratch, starting from nada)? Or French? Bonjour mes enfants! This thought is entertaining since I really get some hints by fate that I shouldn’t give up on this language. Hihi.

Plus, becoming a teacher would require me to stay at one place (probably Krems, or something like that) for the rest of my life since teachers don’t possess the mobility I’m dreaming of right now. So that, is a disadvantage I can’t help contemplating about. Good Morning, Children. - Good Morning Professor Aschauer - Sit down please. How are you today?

Option #3: Media, Design, Communications & CO

Studying Publizistik and Kommunikation (Journalism and communication) now is very popular and just like psychology a branch that doesn’t look promising at all. So if I wanted to do something with media, design and communications then it is very likely that I’ll choose to study at a Fachhochschule.

In case I want to work with media and communication matters I’d most definitely would want to work in the radio or online field. Whenever I do some work on my homepage or somebody else’s I have the feeling that this would be a great job. It’s just that I also sense that this might just be a hobby and not THE THING I want to do for the rest of my life. Working as, for example, a web-designer would steadily require to keep au-courant with the latest trends on the web. And this business’ wheel is spinning wayyy fast. It will be rather hard to catch up and keep pace with the web developing faster and faster.

Finally I did some research on possible branch of studies and here are a couple of things I’d also consider during my decision making process but I can’t really figure out a typical job. Mostly is working for companies and support them in international matters.

Internationale Entwicklung (international development) would prepare you to work as a kind of counselor in bodies (in the sense of committees or any other official/administrative organs within an organization) and consultation in international affairs in general. I can only be very shallow on this option, because I haven’t had time to look into this field and the Job-Aussichten (job outlooks). But it sounds promising and kind of is an alternative that sounds nice to me.

Transkulturelle Kommunikation (transcultural communications) is still on the table. It makes you pick three languages (German, English and most likely French since you need a intermediate level at the beginning) that you perfect them until your reach a very professional level. Again, I need to figure out what are my options after that, but I could imagine to combine this with economics to improve the communicational part of business relations.

Technical studies are very unlikely to me right now, except for metrology, but I also have to look into the curriculum and the classes required for this branch. Make sure you come back and watch (figuratively) walk down my lane to 1 October 2008, where Austrian universities open up their doors for “freshmen.”