Hope!

"Why do we spend our lives striving to be something that we would never want to be, if only we knew what we wanted? Why do we waste our time doing things which, if we only stopped to think about them, are just the opposite of what we were made for?"  -- Thomas Merton

At my job, we are definitely at the time of year when students, in addition to midterms, are really fretting about next steps. Will they get a “good” internship? Will they find a job? What will it mean for them to work in politics, or government in such a tense atmosphere? Are they ready?

These are all totally normal things to feel as a student, or even a professional making a new change. In addition, these are turbulent times. My colleagues and I were reflecting recently on Dr. Martin Luther King's "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech . There are so many parallels to the late 60s and today: a society torn apart by violence, hateful rhetoric and extreme viewpoints. It makes any professional or student looking for a job wonder: is it worth it? Is anything I do ever going to make a change? 

And just as Dr. King alluded to the idea of Moses looking on the promised land, and knowing he wouldn't necessarily enter it, I can tell you that there is. The young people I interact with every day are an inspiration to me. I left over a decade of consulting and researching federal policy, feeling worn out and jaded. In the year I’ve been at my new job, I am amazed at the young people's desire to fix injustices and to be men and women for others. Multiply this by the amount of young people out there - both in colleges and university, and those not, and it gives me hope for the future.

Part of the job of a career professional is to help students and other understand how to link their passions and desires to what employers need, and even more importantly what the world needs of them to do. As part of a Jesuit-Catholic institution, one of our values is to help educate the whole person, and encourage students to think introspectively about why they want to pursue one given career path over another. We listen to their dreams and concerns, and point them to next steps. We give them the tools to help them both as students, and as young professionals. Above all, we hope to instill in each student the certainty that they each have something wonderful to share with our world - a job, a career, a calling, a talent - that no one else has.

Being a part of another person's journey toward self-discovery is truly a privilege. It gives me joy and hope to see our future before us.