I Stayed Up Late Last Night Writing An Entire Essay And Was Dead Tired At Work This Morning. But Apparently

I stayed up late last night writing an entire essay and was dead tired at work this morning. But apparently not as dead as the barista next to me who washed down three Motrins with her Redbull.

Stepped in a giant puddle of maggots on the side of the road yesterday. 0 stars. Do not recommend.

I’m back again with outdated gallagher girls memes!!!

I work at a French café, and the owners are from France, so they have fairly heavy accents. Today, right as I walked in the door, my boss greeted me by saying, “Hola! Cómo estás?” 

And my brain just…couldn’t comprehend what was happening and I stood there gaping at him for a solid minute, like:

If someone says that they don’t support BLM or Pride, because “everyone should be treated equally” and “it’s not equal if they get special privileges”, are they racist/homophobic?   I just got into a big fight with my parents about this. My dad voted for Trump, is white & straight, and works in business. But he gets mad when I call him racist/transphobic/misogynistic, etc because he “doesn’t care what other people do” so long as it doesn’t affect him.  My mom is an independent, hated Trump, and is more liberal than my dad, but she has a lot of the same views as my dad. She doesn’t support feminists because she believes they’re all “men-haters” that would make fun of her for choosing to be a stay at home mom, she says “all lives matter”, and when I told her my friend was bi, she said she had to discuss if I was allowed to sleep over at her house anymore! Even though she came out like 5 years ago to me and nothing weird has happened. Wtf, Mom. She also told me that she’d be fine if I was a lesbian but she’d “prefer” if I wasn’t because it would be “easier” for her. And one time she mentioned that her aunt was never married or even dated, so I said, “maybe she’s ace or aro” and she said, “what’s that mean” and as I told her, she interrupted me and said, “I don’t have room in my brain to learn any of theses new words.” Huh, Mom. I don’t remember you saying that when I told you about a cool new animal or invention I told you about.

Is this a Gen X thing? Like, they just want to ignore anything that doesn’t affect them and they cannot deal with change? Because I’m pretty sure this is the mindset of a lot of adults I know.

I’m having kinda the same problem with finding a travel/culture related major 😬

Global Studies sounds awesommmee 😍🌍

How the heck so you chose a major. I want to study in political science, international relations, psychology, or international business. I want to travel a lot but I know I will have to either make a lot of money or have my job relocate me to a different place every few years. I don’t like stress and don’t feel that confident in my abilities even though I have a 4.3 gpa right now and have done well in school but my social skills are sorely lacking. I just need a helpful hint. Thank you!!

OMG you are going to be totally fine! I’m excited! You’re how old? 17? 19? 23? You already know so much about yourself, which is going to be a huge advantage for you if you can also develop some self-confidence. I say this as a young, self-aware person currently working on my confidence-building. It takes time; it’s a journey, and over time you’ll continue to learn about yourself, your needs, and how to get what you want.

Some previous questions I’ve answered:

What should I major in?

What should I do with my life?

How important is my major?

What if I’m having second thoughts about my life plans?

Here’s what you’ve told me:

I want to study in 

political science, 

international relations, 

psychology, or 

international business. 

I want to travel a lot

I know I will have to either make a lot of money or have my job relocate me to a different place every few years.

I don’t like stress 

and don’t feel that confident in my abilities

I have a 4.3 gpa right now and have done well in school

my social skills are sorely lacking.

These are each separate endeavors, and I encourage you not to think just about your overall dream, but how each of these dreams are different and how they relate to each other.

Given your international and political interests, as well as your desire to travel, I wouldn’t recommend psychology as a major, but taking psychology classes as electives or as a minor could be perfect for you!

If you’re not already in college, I would recommend looking at “global studies” programs. These may help you put your interests together while helping you develop skills toward your desired career. Regardless of where you go to college, I would recommend studying abroad. Arcadia University also has a College of Global Studies; they also partner with colleges that don’t have global studies programs to send students abroad.

At most universities, international relations and political science are likely to be in the same college or department, which would allow you to take classes in both. International business is more likely to be separate, located in a College of Business. 

Try to reach out and email advisors, admissions folks, and faculty in those particular colleges/departments/admissions offices. I know that advice sounds wild, but so many people go into education because they want to help students like you. 

The more you talk to people who know stuff, two things happen:

You know more stuff. 

You feel more confident talking to people who know stuff.

I believe in you! Please do reach out if you need a confidence boost. I’ll be here waving pom poms for you on the sidelines.