While in college, my professors encouraged me to pursue a career in academia. \u00a0I felt heavily swayed by this encouragement, despite the fact that it never felt like a good fit. \u00a0After college and freshly direction-less, I was determined to use this period of career exploration to work for a menagerie of organizations: non-profit, academic, business, and, finally, government. \u00a0It\u2019s about the journey \u00a0. . . \u00a0right?<\/p>\n
The goal of this internship, for me, is to help me decide if I want to work for the federal government. Once I arrived at the BLM office, I scratched this goal in the front of my notebook and began asking my co-workers and supervisors about their careers. \u00a0Naturally, my co-workers both enthused and complained about their jobs, but I was careful to be more objective this time and not be persuaded heavily either way. \u00a0\u00a0I wanted to gain a complete picture of what it would be like to be a federal employee before making a decision.<\/p>\n
Ocean Day was the event that confirmed that a position in the federal government is a career I want to pursue.\u00a0 For this event, the BLM partnered with Friends of the Dunes, neighboring schools, the CCC, and many, many volunteers to bring 700 children to the South Spit to pull invasive beach grass.\u00a0 I enjoyed the role that we, the BLM, played in the event: logistics and oversight.<\/p>\n
In the end, I want to be a public servant.\u00a0 I want to help people do what they need and want to do, as long as it does not harm the environment or others, ideally.\u00a0 Sure, the government isn\u2019t perfect.\u00a0 There are still instances of corruption, power struggles, exploitation, and extreme bureaucracy heaviness. However, the government is here to protect and bring people together, and that is the government I have found in my office.<\/p>\n
This period of confusion has been fun, but exhausting and insecure.\u00a0\u00a0 After drifting for two years, I wasn\u2019t sure that I would ever find something I wanted to work towards.\u00a0 Simply, I am relieved that I have found a direction. Sure, it\u2019s about the journey, not the destination. But it\u2019s awfully nice to have a destination to journey to.<\/p>\n
![\"20140605_111436\"](\"https:\/\/dev-clm-blog.pantheonsite.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/20140605_111436.jpg\")
<\/a>Ocean Day<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Stephanie Wilson<\/p>\n
Arcata BLM Field Office<\/p>\n
Arcata, CA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While in college, my professors encouraged me to pursue a career in academia. \u00a0I felt heavily swayed by this encouragement, despite the fact that it never felt like a good fit. \u00a0After college and freshly direction-less, I was determined to … Continue reading