A Fork in the Road

Why does one decide to join the Peace Corps? I live in Brooklyn, work in Manhattan, have plenty of nice friends and a job that is boring as hell but pays better than it should. I can take a direct flight to anywhere from Milwaukee to London for under $200. So what on earth am I doing?

Well - have you ever felt that your life was heading down a path that you weren't interested in? That's what happened to me. I got this job in the city, moved into a $1325 a month "one bedroom" on the 5th floor of a walk up building on E. 59th Street (the smartest thing my NY self did was cut my rent in half and move to Wburg after a year...) and started enjoying all that Manhattan nightlife has to offer. After thousands of dollars spent on rent and alcohol, I realized that, while my life was fun, it was not fulfilling. While my job paid well, I hated it and everything about it. What had happened?

Before I knew it I was taking the LSAT and planning to go to law school. Then what? 3 years later I'd be $150,000 in debt and would end up working at a place similar to where I am now just to pay that debt off.

For those who think that lawyers at big NY firms are cool because they make well into 6 figures to start, you are wrong. The vast majority are - 1. too smart for the bs work they do 2. not interested in the work they are doing and 3. only working here to pay off their loans. Did I want that to be me? God, no.

Once I realized this I still planned to go to law school. I told myself that I'd be different - I'd take the debt and just deal with it. I'd find a public interest job that allowed me to bypass the "big firm" experience.

But you know what? I'm not that special. There are tons of people who went to law school thinking that same thing. You know what they are doing? Working at STB with me.

I was at a fork of sorts. More appropriately, I was on a path. It was paved and pretty and full of alcohol-filled dance parties and 60 hour work weeks and yummy take-out. But I didn't want to stay on it. What does one do when the desire to travel, learn a new language and culture, and live more simply becomes too strong? I could only think of one answer.

The Peace Corps.