Since
we are very little, we often think about our dream jobs and our future in
general. As we get older, this transforms into a more serious and focused
interest into what our future prospects are, how we’re going to economically
support ourselves, and how to make a living out of something that, hopefully,
you find fascinating.
In my
particular case, my studies have already laid a path towards a particular area
of interest. At the present I’m studying of Archaeology at Universidad de
Chile, and I’m close to graduating. And so, the field of work in which I see
myself in the next years has been narrowed down as I’ve studied more and more
about the present state of things, the state of academic work, areas presently
being researched (both geographically and time periods being researched).
That said, the
prospect of being almost literally thrown into the world unguided (but well
informed) is always intimidating but also stimulating in a way. If I were to
say which areas of interest attract me the most (doing fieldwork or laboratory work), I would say Central Chile
and Norte Chico, and any time periods between the apparition
of pottery all the way up to the Inca rule (about the last 2000 years before Spanish
contact). The origins of my attraction to this area in particular can be traced
to my childhood as I was born in Central Chile, and have always been fascinated
with the ways people lived in the area thousands of years ago.
Lastly, I
think that as the future is not set in stone, what may be my prospects now for
the near future can always change later. Whatever the future has in store for
me, I always remember that the learning process never ends, and at least in this
field of study, one stays a student for life.
