Missed the Boat?

When the economy tanked and the profession sent into chaos, the question myself and my friends faced was not, "when will we work again", but "where we work again?" I found myself back at home, as my original plans to return to New York evaporated with the imaginary billions of Wall Street. Others I knew waited months, even almost a year, trying to find that elusive new position. And a few more, well, they didn't have a choice. They picked up and found themselves someplace new.

Reading this, today, in the NYTimes, reminded me of that time - when I was faced with options I never imagined or wanted. Our profession has been radically altered; I entered thinking that, after school, I would find a job in a reputable firm, work my way up, and one day find myself a partner, looking back on the years dedicated and the projects accomplished. Anyone reading this knows that wasn't the case. And, as the articles I have recently posted reflect, this hasn't been the case for many now coming into our fold.

I wonder if, now, "where they build" will be far away. If China, or Dubai, or India, will be the land of opportunity, experimentation, innovation. If we will find more and more of our graduates abroad because, while we continue to train plenty, we can't come up with jobs for them once they leave. I wonder if will export our best talent because, well, there isn't anything keeping them here.

I wonder, also, if I missed the boat. If I am on my current path because it was safe. I ask myself if I could, like those in the article, pick up and move - not just to a new state, but a new country. And I am freaking Chinese. Granted, I can't speak, can't read, and my cultural markers make me whiter than most, but still. It seems like, of anyone, I would be in a prime position to catch the wave of the next frontier.

Granted, it's not as though all my problems would be solved by a trip overseas. I am sure one set of problems would be traded for another. But life is dealing with problems; it just that, some problems you enjoy solving. I am still trying to figure out if the problems I have now are better than those I could have somewhere else.