On life after being an active AIESECer
After the reading the Uncyclopedia article on AIESEC (highly entertaining read, and ALL old AIESECers will read it with a smile :-)), I decided to write down some thoughts about life after AIESEC. Or life after being an active AIESECer. Or being an AIESEC alumna. Whatever you want to call it. Because these thoughts have been obsessing me lately:
You know, after finally graduating, I was happy to finish AIESEC, to "leave" AIESEC, which I find normal, even if you love the organization. It gave me time to reflect opon my active four (four and a half?) years in @. I have realized that I am most grateful for this experience that has enriched my life in so many ways, and for the things I have learned, the people I have met. But it was also a time of exhaustion, huge workload, frustration, and one huge burnout. It's a huge dilemma. I miss and don't miss the conferences, the roll calls, the dances, the work. I miss and don't miss countless hours spent with teams. Most of my best friends are in AIESEC, and most of them still actively involved. I miss them, want to spend time with them, but I also feel that I need to "cut the umbilical cord" connecting me to active AIESEC-ship (haha) for good. But how can you do that without neglecting/losing your friends? For me, it's important to have a "clean cut" after AIESEC and my entering the professional world. It hurts, but it's also necessary to me, otherwise I think I'll go insane. I want(ed) to have a "normal" life again, like "normal" people, haha. And I'm enjoying it! However, I DO miss the energy level, the inspiration, the crazyness. I miss travelling. I love and hate regular working hours. Aaaaahhhh, I feel like a nutcase right now. I miss my friends, but I want them without AIESEC for a change! I am experiencing such conflicting thoughts, it's driving me crazy. Definetely not easy, even though I have always been the one who pushed herself to be critical, yes, even towards AIESEC. You have to keep a critical eye no matter what you do or no matter what it is, no? Otherwise, it really IS brainwashing. Or am I wrong about that? Does it only work if you're a 150% convinced? Is it just me who always needs to see the downsides of something when everybody is too positive, and to see the advantages of something when everybody is too negative? What I criticize about AIESEC is that, yes, we are mainly present at very prestigious universities. We claim to change the world by developing individuals who already have it all. I mean, how could their parents pay for their expensive education? I know this is too dangerous and generalist a claim. Plus, there are things called scholarships, Carissa. But I have seen some very very arrogant AIESECers, coming from a wealthy background and who never had to fight for anything, who are too thirsty for power, and just LOVE the word "leader" and who, once they're out of AIESEC, well I don't know, I don't think they'll become change agents, as we call them. And that's something else I could have endless discussions about: change agents. You could even dedicate a blog to that. How AIESECers are change agents in their life after AIESEC. I would say that maaaaany aren't. But can you really blame them? Another point I could speak hours about.
So, enough blabbering. I hope that some people out there will understand my rambling. Because I am not 100% sure that I understand it myself...
P.S. Is it "better" to work in the industry that you're interested in/passionate about, but that doesn't necessarily have a good people development/career development system and good processes (and salaries. Because YES, I admit it, after having lousy salaries throughout my studies, or none at all, and developing myself, I WANT an adequate salary, goddamit! A salary that doesn't only take years of experience in the business into consideration, but also facts like language skills, degree, leadership skills, and well, SKILLS in general!) OOOOOOORRRR
to work in an industry/for a company that has boring and intangible products, but that has a fantastic people development/career development opportunities, processes, bosses, structures, maybe even give you access to a gym cheaply, and maybe even has an internal kindergarden (hey, you have to think ahead), and adequate salaries ??????????
-> Is it possible to have BOTH ??? Or are my standards set too high, my interests too diverging? Maybe this is just what it is, "real life"? I need to think about this. And if I am willing to settle for less or not. And if not settling for less means that I am an idealist.
You know, after finally graduating, I was happy to finish AIESEC, to "leave" AIESEC, which I find normal, even if you love the organization. It gave me time to reflect opon my active four (four and a half?) years in @. I have realized that I am most grateful for this experience that has enriched my life in so many ways, and for the things I have learned, the people I have met. But it was also a time of exhaustion, huge workload, frustration, and one huge burnout. It's a huge dilemma. I miss and don't miss the conferences, the roll calls, the dances, the work. I miss and don't miss countless hours spent with teams. Most of my best friends are in AIESEC, and most of them still actively involved. I miss them, want to spend time with them, but I also feel that I need to "cut the umbilical cord" connecting me to active AIESEC-ship (haha) for good. But how can you do that without neglecting/losing your friends? For me, it's important to have a "clean cut" after AIESEC and my entering the professional world. It hurts, but it's also necessary to me, otherwise I think I'll go insane. I want(ed) to have a "normal" life again, like "normal" people, haha. And I'm enjoying it! However, I DO miss the energy level, the inspiration, the crazyness. I miss travelling. I love and hate regular working hours. Aaaaahhhh, I feel like a nutcase right now. I miss my friends, but I want them without AIESEC for a change! I am experiencing such conflicting thoughts, it's driving me crazy. Definetely not easy, even though I have always been the one who pushed herself to be critical, yes, even towards AIESEC. You have to keep a critical eye no matter what you do or no matter what it is, no? Otherwise, it really IS brainwashing. Or am I wrong about that? Does it only work if you're a 150% convinced? Is it just me who always needs to see the downsides of something when everybody is too positive, and to see the advantages of something when everybody is too negative? What I criticize about AIESEC is that, yes, we are mainly present at very prestigious universities. We claim to change the world by developing individuals who already have it all. I mean, how could their parents pay for their expensive education? I know this is too dangerous and generalist a claim. Plus, there are things called scholarships, Carissa. But I have seen some very very arrogant AIESECers, coming from a wealthy background and who never had to fight for anything, who are too thirsty for power, and just LOVE the word "leader" and who, once they're out of AIESEC, well I don't know, I don't think they'll become change agents, as we call them. And that's something else I could have endless discussions about: change agents. You could even dedicate a blog to that. How AIESECers are change agents in their life after AIESEC. I would say that maaaaany aren't. But can you really blame them? Another point I could speak hours about.
So, enough blabbering. I hope that some people out there will understand my rambling. Because I am not 100% sure that I understand it myself...
P.S. Is it "better" to work in the industry that you're interested in/passionate about, but that doesn't necessarily have a good people development/career development system and good processes (and salaries. Because YES, I admit it, after having lousy salaries throughout my studies, or none at all, and developing myself, I WANT an adequate salary, goddamit! A salary that doesn't only take years of experience in the business into consideration, but also facts like language skills, degree, leadership skills, and well, SKILLS in general!) OOOOOOORRRR
to work in an industry/for a company that has boring and intangible products, but that has a fantastic people development/career development opportunities, processes, bosses, structures, maybe even give you access to a gym cheaply, and maybe even has an internal kindergarden (hey, you have to think ahead), and adequate salaries ??????????
-> Is it possible to have BOTH ??? Or are my standards set too high, my interests too diverging? Maybe this is just what it is, "real life"? I need to think about this. And if I am willing to settle for less or not. And if not settling for less means that I am an idealist.
Labels: going mental?, Life oh life, reflection
posted by )i( at 4:22 PM
6 Comments:
I need to correct myself: There are very arrogant AIESECers no matter what background
Sweetheart!
Oh, didnt have the time to read your blog lately (neither to say: Happy belated birthday, dear Carissa!!!), but your post made me smile :) Happy to see other people have my opinion about things in @... at some points I think whether we should be the change agents to change the organization a bit ;)
I guess we would live in a bit better (@)world if at least 50% of all those @ers around live the values they sermonize every day at conferences ;)
Big hug and happy Easter!!!
Well Carissa, these are just thoughts I also had for a long time....my problem was exactly: No AIESEC anymore, but keeping the friends...and this is just hard...you can make it but its hard...:-)
good luck girl with your after-@ life!
ahhh cariss, i wanna say you struck a chord in me, but that would be such a blatant understatement. i feel really emotional after reading this, and there are thoughts racing through my head right now. first off: i do NOT think you need to be 150% convinced of what you do. it's even detrimental to be so into what you're doing. i love the organization, but the longer i was in it, the more i distanced myself, once it was full time, it actually started to feel like a job and it allowed me to experience all the little gaps between the ME-me and the AIESEC-me.. anyway, we so need to hang out and talk this through over coffee or better - wine! :)
just one more thing: to live AIESEC you have to leave AIESEC. and that's where the problem begins...
ok nuff said :) let's meet up! are you ever in BE/ZH? that would be easier than GE. and we still on for KO on sat?
luv, c.
It's always interesting to see how @ers see their post-@ life...and also how most of them see and feel the same... (including me :p )
how are u Crocodile?? :))
with smile,
ali
Hello,
I found this blog entry after googling "Uncylopedia AIESEC", just to see what it said.
My name is Sam, and I'm the current VPPD and LCP-elect of AIESEC Oxford, in the UK. I was really interested to read what you had to say, and then the comments as well.
A lot of what you say rings true, but I think you perhaps put too much of a bad spin on what we do. I fear that I'm one of these people you may despair of- I critically analysis that which is presented to me, but if I like an idea, I will become ridiculously enthusiastic about it. This is true of AIESEC, but also everything else I do in life, which means my poor friends and family have to deal with me being really excited quite a lot!
AIESEC is a development process, and it sounds like its done a decent job in developing you- helping you grow as a person, meet cool people and have loads of fun on the way. So I can completely understand why you look back with fond memories but still don't want to return. You've grown from that, and you're ready to move on.
I can imagine there are many AIESECers who you don't feel belong in the organsiation, that you might consider to be hypocritical or not understanding of what you're doing and what you're trying to achieve. That is a problem. But there are many people from many different backgrounds. Its not where you come from that's important, its where you're going next. And those that forget about AIESEC and being change agents and go on to lead their lives in much the same way as if AIESEC had never been a part of it are an example of us failing- we're recruiting the wrong people, the wrong people are in the university, AIESEC doesn't have the real impact on them that its trying to achieve... all of these may be true.
But if AIESEC can make a "change agent" (I've always hated that phrase) of one person, if there is that one person who can look at something and say "That's not right. What are we going to do to fix it?" be it about AIESEC, or the wider world, then everyone and everything that encourages them to think that has played in an important part in creating a person who really could change the world.
This a very long post, but I'm nearly done- you wrote a lot of thought-provoking stuff! I understand the dilemma you wrote about in terms of work and jobs- do you do the interesting cool stuff, or the boring, safe, secure stuff? How will you provide for your family, how will you be able to do the things you want to do when your parents can't support you any more, and you need to start supporting them? The decision is slightly easier for me, mainly because I have a ridiculously low boredom threshold and will not tolerate anything that slips below it! But I've also thought that we worry about things like money more than is really needed. Yes, its important, yes there are bills to be paid, and yes there are little creature-comforts that cost money. But if I was do something I loved, something I was passionate about, then I would harder and better at that then anyone else. And I would do better than anyone else because of it. The money will sort itself out, but my happiness won't. Focusing on the right thing will make everything else fall into place.
Thanks for your post, and if you're still reading this, thanks for continuing with my ramblings!
Sam
LCPe
AIESEC Oxford
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