It's 1:45 in the morning and I have to wake up at 7:15 for my Econ class. Plus I have an Asian American midterm later today that I don't feel like studying for. I've never stressed so much over a class I could just potentially take as Pass/No Pass if I screw up. It kept me up to 4AM last night. Plus I drank a tea tapioca that might have contributed to my insomnia. But the midterm will be in the form of my nemesis, the dreaded In-Class Essay. I wonder who invented the in-class essay. I hate them because it's difficult to prepare for them, and the teacher could ask anything. Plus the fact that I cannot refer back to my notes or any of the 5 books we've read so far makes things a little harder.

But the real reason I'm writing is because of my post-college life. I went to see my Econ guidance counselor on Tuesday to assess my scores of the Interest Test I took to see where my interests are, and what are some potential jobs I should look for that match my interests in life. According to the test, here are my top 5 interest areas:

1. Athletics
2. Religion & Spirituality
3. Teaching & Education
4. Office Management
5. Sales

Unless I plan on becoming an NBA player, monk, teacher, salesman, or Steve Carrell, perhaps I chose the wrong major for myself.

So what else did this test teach me? According to the test, I'm not very manly. I scored a "Very Low" interest level compared to other males who took the test on things like Mechanics and Construction, and Military. Yet I scored a "High" interest level compared to other males in subjects like Teaching, Counseling, Healthcare Services, Writing, Entrepreneurship, and Advertising. Not only did this test reassure me that I'm in the wrong major, but it also destroyed my self esteem as a male.

The test also listed the top ten occupations for me:
1. Buyer
2. Business Education Teacher
3. Housekeeping/Maintainence Manager
4. Special Ed Teacher
5. Community Service Director
6. Administrative Assistant
7. Florist
8. Travel Consultant
9. College Instructor
10. Nursing Home Administrator

This list made me even feel like less of a man. Perhaps I should show up to my next meeting with my counselor in a dress. A Florist? Ironically, I somehow managed to relate the most to Horticulturists in the "Building, Repairing, Working Outdoors" occupations. I scored a 34 with them, putting me in the "You share some interests with men in that occupation" range. Within that group, I answered most differently to Carpenters, Electricians, and Engineeers, where I scored in single digits, meaning I share few interests with them. I bet even Jesus would call me a sissy. The best part about this section was that for the "Researching, Analyzing, Inquiring" job section, I scored a -35 with Physicists. My counselor said I should not even be friends with them and avoid them at parties.

I plan on resuming the job/intern search tomorrow and into my Spring Break. I'm really not sure what I want to do with my life now. Maybe teaching economics, maybe being a "Finacial Analyst" which every econ major seems to be, but I have no idea what that even is. I looked at the 2001 Econ Grads and where they are currently working at. I see some cool places like EA Sports, GAP, Mervyns, Disney. But the majority of people work for places that I've never heard of and doing things I've never heard of. And now I don't know what to do. My dad is going to yell at me if I don't become a financial analyst. He's going to want me to get a great paying job so I can support a family that I don't even have right now. My counselor says I need to find a job that I enjoy, because job happiness is tied to job interest, and it doesn't matter if you're making a boatload of money but crying on the inside. And she's right. So not only do I need to find that job that's going to make me happy, but it's somehow got to make enough money so I can supoprt myself, and in the process prevent my parents from being ashamed of me and locking me in the attic and feeding me sludge underneath the door.

Lastly and sadly, we're learning in my Econ/Demography class that the divorce rate for married couples has gone up over the years, possibly because of the rise in women's wages. A rise in women's wages makes them less dependant on the male, allowing them to leave unhappy marriages because males are no longer the sole source of income in today's dual wage economy. That means my low income will not only bring shame upon my family, but it will raise the possibility of divorce for me, which will bring more shame upon my family should my wife leave me! The only thing I can do now is find a mate who makes less than me. I will go to Yahoo Personals later and refine my search so that it filters out anybody making more than $8,000 per year. The only other alternative is to find a girl who really loves me for me regardless of my salary, but that's harder to find than Waldo.

I might as well become a damn florist.