I have a plan for life, and without it I imagine I actually wouldn't be able to get up in the morning. Unlike Xahar, good things generally have
not happened to me in recent months (at least not to the extent that I know they have to him), and certainly not "through no effort of my own".
Sometimes I think that there is a disconnect between my plans for grad school, which involve studying development economics, and my academic profile- I haven't published research (though I might be able to publish my senior thesis) and am unlikely to end up PBK. But I after I graduate I'd like to do work for 2-3 years, somewhere along the lines of international political consultancy or an analyst. And I will be very frank, these years will be the few years of "freedom" I have, so I am hoping for a job that pays... well rather than be vulgar and give you a number, I'll just say "pays around the median starting salary for graduates of my school", which you should be able to get a figure close to without much effort.
However I think (fear?) that the wiser thing to do would be to go through a post-bac or MA program to bolster my credentials for grad school. I am a bit delusional about my grad school chances, I will openly state- I sometimes like to think that "well, if I could get into a number of top rate schools like I did as an undergrad, why I can't I get into the same schools again?" or that "well, my father went to a first tier school for his PhD- heck, even though he teaches accounting his degree is in economics, too!- so why can't I?".
But I understand I am not in the best position in that regard so I will have probably have to go to a third-tier, or, if I'm lucky, a second-tier school to get my degree, and really, really, work hard there to get a tenure-track position at a first or second tier school, where there should be
no matter with compensation. I'd like to spend no more than 5-6 years there, I want to be out by 30. I will probably have to swallow the very bitter pills of the quantitative side in order to make myself more marketable- I've already told my father about my all-consuming fear od real analysis.
After that, if it all works out, I'm on the top of the golden mountain- teaching and researching development economics. I mean, for years, I have just read papers on development economics for pure pleasure, and I really decided that it was what I wanted to do with my life when I saw
this guy's CV- I was in awe of the fact that "you can do this for a living!?".
Like I said, without this "golden mountain" as my goal in life I have no idea what I'd do with myself.
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