Decisions and Beginnings

So of course, I think I'll have to start off, or rather, restart this blog by dispelling some of the negative connotations of the word, opportunism. To be "global" is just fine, if you can really presume to be something so incredibly complex and all encompassing. An "opportunist", though, that seems a bit more problematic.

Just to get the ball going, an "opportunist", by definition is a person who places expediency over principle, OR, a person who takes immediate advantage, often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit.

[Global Opportunity] in this sense, may just seem like an excuse to travel. It may also seem like an attempt to avoid the inevitable "9-5" office job. But for me at least, it's a bit more than just looking for free stuff (although free stuff is always a perk). It's more than traveling and more than being a student. It's about riding the waves of change in a world that is continuing to "shrink" and opening your eyes to see the potential in this change. It's about decision making, being true to yourself, it's about having an ethos that allows you to think and feel beyond the impersonal nature of most of our day to day interactions and by most importantly living your life by the rules you set. It's about stopping to look around once in awhile and living in the moment.

Not convinced yet? Maybe if I tell my story you'll have a better sense at what I'm getting at.

I’m currently doing a Masters of Urban Planning in Milan, Italy. It’s funny how such a simple phrase, such a simple, cocktail party presentation of who I am and what I’m doing at the moment, will in all actuality require posts upon posts of explanations and probably inspire countless future observations and musings. So, for your sake, and for the sake of time, let’s just say for the moment that I study in Milan.

How I got there though? Well, that is a whole story in it of itself.

From my humble point of view, higher education is a fairly complex issue in the United States. It’s costly, requires that you practically sell your soul to get a decent FAFSA standing and has become an incredible spectacle of marketing. The campus tours, university sweaters, football games, applications, SATs and interviews are a dizzying and seemingly unending maze of soul searching and spending with the ultimate goal of finding that perfect match. This, we all know of course. It’s nothing new to complain about the impressively long list of inequities in American higher education, but for the stake of setting the context in which I made my decisions, it’s important to reaffirm the frustration.

Needless to say, looking for a masters, I wasn’t about to let myself go through all of THAT again and waded into the waters of university shopping with a number of fairly clear non-negotiables. I, most importantly, refused to let myself be sucked into the vortex of student debt. I was also unwilling to feed the impersonal and unfair corporate arm of educational experience in the States and as such refused to take the GREs. If I was going to be judged and accepted, it would be on my terms and based on my strengths as a student and most certainly not my test scores. Finally, I refused to limit myself to only the States when looking for graduate programs. So, sticking to the opportunist code of ethics, I looked for a way to minimize costs whilst maximizing life experience, global career opportunities and of course, travel experience, by not playing anyone elses game but my own.

To make a long story short, somehow, with a fairly strong undergraduate experience and some inspiring statements of interest, I was able to land myself in three schools: Université de Montréal, NYU Wagner and the Politecnico di Milano. Each program had its perks, which made matters more difficult. Université de Montréal was an accredited planning program taught in French, which would’ve allowed me to stay in Montreal and broaden my linguistic horizons. NYU Wagner was of course NYU and thus, had amazing connections, pristine facilities and was located right in the heart of bustling New York City. The Politecnico di Milano was a longshot, but afforded me the opportunity of immersing myself in a completely new context, challenging myself linguistically and hopefully broadening my career horizons to Europe and beyond.

In the end, much like a bad episode of house hunters where you holler at the TV because the idiots choosing clearly went with the worst option, I was leaning towards NYU Wagner. Milan was far and unknown, maybe too risky of a shot in the dark, and Montreal became too costly to consider because of living expenses. NYU Wagner was thus the most bang for the most buck, but in the end probably would’ve been the “right” decision for future career opportunities.

Accepting NYU Wagner was hard at first, but slowly and surely I began to own the experience. I networked with professors to hopefully land a fellowship position, wandered around Washington Square Park studying the crowds of people coming and going, and like every self respecting future NYU student, paid an impersonal visit to the Bursary Office to hopefully land that mythical interview that you hear about whereby person x was able to negotiate the university into giving them a full ride. My negotiation skills aren't the best and in the end I was told to fill out the FAFSA forms and wait like everyone else. Oi.

I have no qualms in saying that I believe that what happened next was somehow an intervention of fate and sure enough, right as I began to accept NYU, the Politecnico threw me a curveball and decided to choose me instead. Two days before really confirming with NYU Wagner, the Politecnico di Milano sent me an email offering me a full scholarship. This meant that both tuition AND living costs would be covered in Milan. Suddenly, the idea of Milan being “too far” and “too different” was scrapped and I promptly sent an email to NYU that I had been offered an opportunity that I couldn’t turn town. Milan. Free masters. Free euro-chic residence. Other international students. Italian. Europe. Traveling. It’s funny how the cards seemingly all fell into place and my next life step became magically a bit clearer, or rather, a bit less nebulous.

So here I am again at the beginning of my story and the end of this post, telling you that I go to university in Milan. The process to get there in it of itself being somewhat of an exercise in [global opportunism].

The point to this musing about my choice of the Politecnico di Milano is a little more than to just establish my credentials to you. To fire off just a few lessons to round out this post, there exist a plethora of opportunities in the world that fall beyond the primrose path of American university education and eventual employment. Life is full of curveballs and opportunities that we really can't afford to miss. Option Bs may in fact be Option As in disguise. Small ponds need their big fishes.

The whole point, in the end, is to see a horizon open before you and to have a courage to see where it's leading. It's about being willing to buckle up your seatbelt and letting the world take you on a wild ride. It's about being a captive observer and listener to the tides of change in your life and the lives of those around you. And finally, I think it's a fittingly auspicious and humble start to this whole project.