This year has involved a lot of trying to figure out what my future might or should hold. This isn't a unique characteristic. Plenty of seniors are on the same boat as me. However, that doesn't make it any less stressful!
I know I’m interested in continuing my study of
religion and theology at the graduate level and would love, one day, to be a
professor in that area. However, the job market for higher education isn’t
great, so I’m trying to determine how I can follow my passion for theological
and religious studies in a practical way that can lead to a career.
Originally, I had been looking at Master of Arts programs in Religion and a Masters of Theological
Studies program. These are primarily academic degrees that serve as preparation for a
Ph.D. My plan was to pursue one of those degrees, if I was given funding, and discern from there whether or not I wanted to continue for my doctorate; if not, I wanted to use that academic background in a church or non-profit setting. When I went to my professors for guidance, however, they gave me more options to consider. Some encouraged me to look at Master of Divinity degrees from seminaries as well. These would still allow me to pursue a Ph.D., if I desire, but open the doors to more opportunities in the church, non-profits, etc.
Now, as I look at my list of graduate schools I’m
applying to in the U.S., it’s primarily seminaries! One of my professors
even suggested I consider ordination as a possible option. I’m far from sold on
that idea, though it’s scary to even have floating in the back of my mind. As
someone who grew up in the Roman Catholic church, being a priest was never
really a career option I could mull over in childhood. It is something available to me, however, if I
join the Episcopal church, which feels increasingly likely.
This semester so far has shown me that, even
as a senior in college, I still have a lot to figure out in terms of vocation.
I appreciate that I’ve been able to seek out my own pathway in community with
others. This year I’ve gotten involved in our campus’s Pre-Ministry group,
which meets biweekly to discuss topics like vocation, ministry, and serving God in our future careers. I’ve loved being able to have these discussions with
fellow students and our interim chaplain.
At a meeting last Thursday, our interim
chaplain shared with us the story of discovering his vocation. A group of us stayed afterwards for a chat about life, God,
vocation, etc. I didn’t leave with a particularly clear idea of where I should
go for the future—but I did leave feeling excited about God and the relationships I have on this campus.
Overall, it’s amazing to think about how much my
plans have changed (even if they aren’t definite) over the course of four years.
As a freshman, I entered college with a set career path in mind. My main
professional goal was to be a novelist who wrote young adult fiction. I
assumed, to make a living, I would enter editing and publishing. Over my four
years, I’ve realized that I don’t have a strong interest in being involved in the
publishing business (besides one day being a published writer hopefully) and that
there might be other career paths better suited for me. I spent some time
considering being a librarian and an archivist before feeling, eventually, that
both of those weren’t for me either. I found that I kept returning to the idea of
graduate school for religion or theology in my head. I kept wanting to write this off as impractical, but
the idea has pretty much grabbed hold of me. As you can tell from the rest of
the post, I’ve decided that I need to at least give this idea a chance and see
where it might lead.
Whether or not grad
school will even be a financially feasible option, when acceptance and
rejection time comes, remains to be seen. But I’m excited that I’m giving
myself a chance to see.
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