I’ve been at loose ends, mentally, the last several days. A few weeks ago I wrote a brief, cryptic post about longing for a change. Well, though not quite as I imagined it, that change is happening.
In just a few weeks I’ll be applying to Evergreen State College in Washington (state, not district) for their sustainability program – with the plan of studying sustainable agriculture and food systems, with a heavy focus on writing. Evergreen has an interdisciplinary program, so I’ll be able to craft my coursework to suit my goals. I’m not entirely sure what the outcome of this adventure will be – could be work in food policy (me, a lobbyist?!), directing a food systems related nonprofit, or maybe working to restore life to soils depleted by industrial ag abuses – but as the Monkey wisely says, “Almost no one goes to college knowing what they’re going to do when they get out. You may be an adult, but you get that luxury too.”
I should interject here that I never attended college to begin with. It’s not a path I’d recommend but it was mine, and overall I’ve done alright by it. Tenacity counts for a hell of a lot in this world, and if you’re relatively bright, that plus tenacity will pull you through. But I have learned one thing: being an expert in the thing you do opens many doors, and saves you a whole lot of grief. I’m ready to be an expert, and I have identified a passion that will inspire my tenacity. (more…)
