More Than Most
“I’ve never actually applied for a traditional job,” my thesis advisor told me over lunch, explaining that she’d gone straight from undergrad to a PhD program. We were out at a vegetarian restaurant, celebrating my completed thesis essay, and the tables that surrounded us were mostly empty. Sparsely-populated storefronts were an ongoing theme of college life: On weekday afternoons, when people like us had the freedom to go out, most people were on the 9-to-5 grind.
While my advisor’s words made sense, I felt a little startled and let down. People I admired and trusted, throughout the Spanish department and my entire fancy school, seemed to have their hands tied when it came to post-grad life. My professors had guided me through centuries’ worth of literature in two languages, but they couldn’t seem to help me get paid to take calls for some arts organization.
