WHAT AM I INTO

Now that I'm over a month removed from leaving the full-time job I had for ten years, a month into being a full-time student, I've been looking ahead once again, to what sort of job I want to pursue when I graduate (God willing) next spring.  I've already spoken to recruiters and to people who work at companies I respect, and of course they ask me the obvious question: "Well, what are you are looking for?"

 

I cop out now by saying I'm still exploring.  And in fact, that's not a total cop-out, because I promised myself I'd lay low this semester to give myself time to distance from my previous work experience, lest I unnecessarily inhibit my job search (either by assuming I have to do something like what I used to do, or else by wanting to do anything but what I used to do). 

 

But it's still a question I ought to at least have some kind of answer to, even if a vague and broad one at that.  What I've enjoyed so far about The Enterprise Center and about the Fels Institute of Government is being able to apply business principles in non-business settings.  So that's a start.  And maybe what I do is less important than that I'm with high-quality co-workers and in a company that I admire. 

 

But still: what am I into?  I decided that one good litmus test would be to flip through the newspaper and make note of the articles that caught my eye.  After all, there is some reading material I've been assigned to get through (i.e. bulk packs) and other reading material I know I ought to keep up with (i.e. current events).  But reading the newspaper is purely voluntarily, and might give me a good read on what issues I gravitate toward. 

 

So I picked up Thursday's paper last night (I'm about 36 hours behind on newspaper reading, and I'm embarrassed to tell you how many days/weeks/months behind on magazine reading).  Here are the four articles I found most interesting:

 

Red Cross stung by Katrina criticism (page A12).  The relief agency is proud of its work so far, and hurt by those who have accused it of being biased in its charity and who have suggested they should share their recently received donations with other, smaller non-profits.

 

Destination Philadelphia (page A20).  The editorial page celebrates Philadelphia's acknowledgement in National Geographic Traveler as America's Next Great City.  I love what the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corporation has done in branding and packaging the city from a tourism standpoint.

 

Getting Mass Transit for China (page C3).  Sam Katz is part of a joint venture that is developing mass transit systems for China's booming urban metropolises.  I tremble at the environmental and social impact of China becoming as car-dependent as we are, and hope that they get mass transit right.  Easier said than done, but glad to hear something's being done.

 

Taxes, not talk, aid conservation (page D1 of Friday's paper).  Business columnist Andy Cassel hits the hammer right on the head in arguing that what will lead Americans to consume gas appropriately is not pleas by the president but higher gas taxes, and that higher gas taxes are actually a good thing for the economy.