Unreasonable Satisfaction with a Meagre Mediocre Mundane Life

My work.  What can I say about it?  Well I have what is quite possibly the most awesome job ever.  Except for professional kitten snugglers.  No one can beat that job.

One of the most awesome aspects of my job is the fact that I get to write and develop policy, and the fact that by doing those two things, that I actually have a job that has something to do with my university degree. 

Now, I know that many people go to university in hope of doing a job that has some relation to their degree, but that is either a pipedream or something that people in medical professions only get to actually experience.  The Liberal Arts degree is essentially a stepping stone into …something, what is that something you ask? 

It could be a highly intelligent house husband/wife? 

Or a really opinionated call center worker?

It could even be a future chair to charity volunteer boards that can’t pay their rent because they make no money doing all of their volunteer and philanthropic activities and has compromise their morals and work at corporate Starbucks just to get by?

Well, we shall never really know. 

Liberal Arts degrees are simply a way for reasonably intelligent individuals, who are too soft for the trades/hard labour jobs and not keen on spending then next 15 years in medical/science type school, to get some higher education and do…. something with their lives.  It’s never particular clear what it is these Liberal Arts type people want to do, as Liberal Art majors are usually picked based on:

A)     a whim, “anthropology eh?  That’s the study of people, right? Well I’m a person… how hard can that be?”;

B)       a dream, “acting? That sounds neato and I do really want to make out with Brad Pitt one day”;

C)      the startling conclusion that there was only one or two subjects in High School that the person did really well in and that they did mediocre in all the rest (or struggled though, ahem Math), so why not choose a major that has something to do with that topic?  (This is how all English, Political Science, and History majors are chosen); and lastly

D)     someone you either admire or like has already chosen their major and you just want to copy them because High School didn’t actually teach you how to think critically, only how to follow the pack leader.  This is what my first boyfriend was like.  In the time that I knew him he did three entirely different programs all based on what his “best friend at the time” was taking as their major.  On a related note, he was, and likely continues to be, a douchbag. 

As someone who felt inclined to take Political Science as my degree, (refer to point B as to why I took it (Social Studies was aaaawwwwweesome!!)) all I knew is that I wanted to do something political...ish in nature.  Though I had the horrible misnomer when I was younger that I was taking a political science degree to become a politician, AhHaHAhaaaaa, *wipes tear* I was so foolish and young.

Politicians don’t need political science degrees, in fact I am stretching the considerable knowledge bank that is my mind and I cannot think of a politician that has a Poly Sci degree.  History maybe, but Poly Sci… no.  Medical Degrees, Law Degrees, yes and yes.  I even personally know a former MP who doesn’t even have a High School Degree, but does have money and friends in high places.

What you really need to succeed in the political spotlight is:

A)     a fierce love for yourself (there are no self conscious politicians);

B)      a fierce love for attention;

C)      money (or the ability to get other people with money to give it to you, which is, by far, the most awesome skill to possess, ever); and

D)     time, and lots of it.

Political Science degrees breed a different kind of individual.  A Poly Sci student who wants fiercely to be active in decision making is quickly bogged down by reality.  Those people go into clubs and organizations that model the western worlds governing model, the Model UN and student government being the prime examples, and quickly realize that decision are not simply made by a unitary ruler, but are the result of a long and sometimes arduous process that involves many, many people.  I’m not saying this type of decision making is a bad thing.  It’s not. 

If we had uniform single person decision making as our model for governance, holy baby Jesus, the world would be fucked.   Cause people, individually, are stupid.  Yes, even the smart ones.  Individuals get ridiculous and not well thought through ideas into their mind, normally given to them by their close group of like-minded peers,  and if that person had the power to enact those decisions without the carefully waited advise of an educated and impartial bureaucracy or a counterweighted opposition, things would not go well. 

This brings me back to the point I was trying to make at the very beginning. 

(Ahahah A point!  Finally!)

My point is that after those more idealistic and power hungry people who want-change-and-want-it-now  are weeded out, Political Science degrees help shape the perfect bureaucrat.  These people can still crave a little power; I mean we are trying to prove all those bullies from high school that made fun of us nerdlings for being up to date on current events, loving satirical comedy and being a little weird, wrong.  We just don’t want that power to be subject to the public eye.  The public is mean and is composed of those damn bullies all grown up. 

Instead we want the power to give well rounded and well researched (though sometimes heavily weighted and obviously preferred) options to those in power but not have to choose outright cause that could cost us our jobs. 

We like to develop strategies and frameworks that tell people how to live appropriately but not actually be the ones to tell those people directly how to live.  The bullies can do that.

We like to have meetings with other intelligent people and argue about things and hash them out.  Then we like to record those thought and agonize over the little details for months writing draft after draft of a paper. 

We don’t like FOIP (Freedom of information and Privacy) cause it takes a lot of time to dig up all that stuff when someone makes a FOIP request and now all our pretty meeting minutes are out for everyone to see L

We like to work really hard and strive to do the best thing for the most people and yet get torn down and not recognized for it (the fact that were martyrs for a cause makes us feel special). 

We like having a stable and predictable work week and planning far off into the future (Yeah for Pensions and 5 Year Action Plans!!). 

We are bureaucrats. 

Hear us roar like lions who don’t like roaring directly in the public eye.

Ahhhh yes, I love my job.