My future – or at least the next coming year for starters

02Apr09

My commitment of my job here in France is actually coming to a close. In fact, I have been here one year longer than originally planned. So where does that bring me but to plan for my future; and I have been thinking very hard about this for the past month. In short – my decision has come to leave 1st of October and land back in Chicago.

The next thing is career. I have had two really kick ass jobs in the past decade. Previously, for six years developing website, online education, user training in Central America, Bosnia and Afghanistan, and research in e-learning and telemedicine for an international non-profit. It was somewhat grunt work but it was managed mostly by me as the “expert in technology” and still working with other researchers as a team. Then I decided I needed a bit more leadership experience so spent the past few years as one of the leaders in a buddhist village in France. My responsibility covered health, security, safety of everyone who lived here as well as the 1000’s of participants and teachers of programs coming through here a year. This also included training and working with people, coordinating programs as well as living in a somewhat intense situation where there is program after program happening. It has been the toughest job one could have, but also super rewarding at the same time.

But now, I want more.

My plan is to pursue a Masters/PhD program for autumn 2010 in what is called Information School (location still TBD). This is a program that is designed to work with technology and communications in a societal setting. Many of the issues with technology that I dealt with in the past were related to what I feel would be covered in this sort of program. I want to go back to working with NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) but more at the level of directing organizational choices and so on. Also on my mind is how to bring technology into the developing world…for better or worse.

So that is where I stand for the next year or so. I have some projects in mind including a directory of internet use around the world. But for the time being, I have my final six months here and there is still lots to enjoy! Wish me luck.

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