Change of course...

Friday, November 16, 2007, 17:00, Lido Deck

There's been a change of course. Not on the ship, but for me
personally.

I have officially accepted a position on The Scholar Ship for the
January voyage. The idea of sailing again is exciting, not only
because of the continued adventures, but because I would be
continuing the co-creation process and seeing the program through its
first full year.

The hard part? I had to officially let go of my job at UC Irvine. I
never imagined how difficult this decision would be and the sadness
and fear it would evoke--sadness because of my close relationships
with my co-workers and fear because I am leaving something so
familiar and great. The Career Center has been like a second family
to me. Literally. I feel so lucky to have had the support,
mentoring, and opportunities I did, and all within my first job out
of graduate school.

At the same time that I hold this fear and sadness, I also hold the
"knowing" that I made the best decision . And I truly believe that
by letting go, I am allowing myself to be open to other
possibilities. I'm really enjoying integrating the career
development piece into my role on the ship. I think it's an
important component of the study abroad experience to a) help
students examine their options (or more often re-examine their
expanded options) and b) help students articulate and market their
experience to future employers/graduate schools.

So, here we go...To the next step...