So today I gave a talk to Seniors and fresh grads from AUC on pursuing a career in development. First off, this morning it hit me like a ton of bricks that I have been working for almost 16 years. Im not sure when that quite happened and will choose not to dwell on that one for my own sanity. I do have two take aways from this rather surreal experience. 1) The students I spoke to are cynical. They are in their early 20s and they think there is no hope for Egypt. When I was their age I was bursting with hope. I thought I could conquer the world and I was definitely a lot more fearless than I am now. How horrible to be so young and yet so cynical about the society you live in. Message to those of you in your late 30s and above. Its time to mentor and infuse hope back among this countrys youth. We should all take it upon ourselves to find a fresh grad and help them find their passion and reach their potential. Most importantly though, we should help remove the cynicism. Without hope that things can get better, they will leave and we need them to stay. 2) In the midst of my talk, I realised that the message I was trying to give them was that you dont need to work for an NGO or at a donor agency to help develop your community, whether that community be local, regional or even global. Leading a life with purpose is a personal choice and you can have a career in any field and still choose to consistently make your society better. Development will only happen when thousands and thousands of us choose a life that includes purpose and integrity in all that we do. We should be teaching our youth to make a positive difference in their surrounding communities regardless of what career path they choose to take in life. For in the end, what is the point of life if we arent always striving to make it better, not just for ourselves but for those who co-inhabit with us? #lateafternoonrants
Posted on: Mon, 02 Jun 2014 14:45:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015