The Five-Year Plan July 3, 2010
Posted by Katie Oh in : Such As , trackbackI feel like people in their college years get this a lot. Where do you want to be in five years? What do you want to do with your life? What do you want to do after you graduate? What’s your ideal career? What careers would you be willing to settle for? Is it a career or a job? Do you have an anxiety disorder from all these questions yet?
I’ve been thinking a lot about mine lately, and it’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to try to hammer out. How heavily do I consider a backup plan? How miserable am I willing to be to pay off my student loans? What’s the ideal situation, and how do I take that into account in relation to my backup plans?
There’s a lot of questions to consider. However, I have been able to boil it down to two plans.
The ideal right now:
Now: Apply for MFA programs this fall.
Spring 2011: Get into MFA program with full funding. Graduate with BFA.
Spring 2013 [or 2014]: Graduate with MFA.
Fall 2013 [or 2014]: Come back to Pittsburgh, work job I currently work seasonally, while applying for more jobs.
[At some point] Begin adjunct faculty work.
[All through this time period, be sending things out for, and hopefully getting, publication.]
This would, hopefully within 10 years, lead to my having enough publications [maybe a book deal?] to get a full-time position.
Backup plan:
Now: Apply for MFA programs this fall.
Spring 2011: Get rejected from programs. Graduate with BFA.
Fall 2011: Move back to Pittsburgh, work job I currently work seasonally, apply for more MFA programs.
Spring 2012: Get rejected and keep applying or get accepted, and continue with ideal plan.
People always tell me “I thought if you wanted to be a writer, you just had to write.” This is true in some aspects, but also quite condescending to hear. Of course I write. But I have to be able to survive somehow, preferably without losing my sanity.
You five-year plan really depends on you. I have friends who just aimlessly travel throughout the country and find little jobs here and there. If you’re personable and can thrive in that lack of structure, that is wonderful. I can’t quite do that, I like a plan. It’s been good to get one figured out. Now I just have to do it.
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