tutor kids, accounting, careers and such

now that the biggest thing of 2009 for me is officially over (i.e. my exchange), I start worrying about 2010 - my grad year and I'm not giving myself an easy time either as I find that recently a lot of the conversations I have with friends revolve around "jobs!", "co-op!", "careers!", "grad school!" or "graduation!" (and the occasional "CA!" or "CGA!" or even "CPA!" from my accounting friends). I am so uncertain about my future that I've started giving the answer of "being unemployed" when people ask me my plans after graduation.

But I think after having worked in Hong Kong for a month in July, I realized that it's not too hard to find a good paying job - at least not as hard as finding a job that one loves (or maybe I'm really naive). After having worked in a law firm and observing what real, non-TVB lawyers do, I realize that maybe this really isn't the job for me. This really starts worrying me because if a hefty paycheck is my sole greatest requirement for a dream job, then all I really need to do is work really hard and get myself some sort of license: lawyer, accountant, real estate agent, you name it. But that's not all I want (yes i am greedy). I want a good paying job but also a job where i can wake up everyday and go "wow I can't wait to start working today". I even dare say I prefer the latter over the former if I must choose. If my job is a 9-5 thing, that's already 8 hours - a third of my life dedicated to this cause. It better be something worthwhile.

So I suppose this is my God given theme of the summer as things that have been going on recently seem to be somehow related to this issue too. Having, for the very first time, an opportunity to actually pick and choose kids that I want to tutor for the coming school year, I figure it's not just about the money I can make anymore. More so, I want to tutor kids that I really think I can help and somehow be friends with them beyond the usual English tutor sense. I don't want to take in as many tutor kids as I want to anymore.

And then there's Brian Liu who's heading to Ontario to work with IVCF - someone who graduated and work a job not because it pays well but because it is important to him.

But beyond all this worrying and thinking, I found comfort from a least expected person who told me about his current sufferings working his accounting co-op job. As he told me his grievances and how he isn't really cut out for this kind of a job and it didn't turn out to be what he was expecting, I cannot help but think that less than 3 years ago I was also looking forward to an accounting degree until I almost got kicked out of Commerce and ended up doing IR which I am still doing today and really enjoying.

So why should I worry? God has always watched out for me.

Currently listening: Down to Earth - Peter Gabriel, from Wall-E
Do you feel you've been tricked - by the future you've picked? Well come on down.