Winds of Change

Well, I said there would be some changes, and I wasn't lying. New title, new base template, and a (relatively) new commenting system add up to a considerably different look for this blog. "But why the change?" you ask?

For the past few months, I've been struggling with my plans for the future. I wasn't sure where I was supposed to be heading after graduation: what to study, where to study it, what to do as far as job searching...I wasn't sure of anything. After much thinking, praying, and discussing with others, I now have a better idea of what lies ahead.

The more I learned about linguistics, the more I didn't see myself going that way for a career. The study of language (and languages) still interests me, and I hope to incorporate it into what I do study, but there was one major problem with the field: linguistics isn't quite prescriptive enough for me. Most of you are probably aware of the fact that languages change over time. Although some linguists try to halt or reverse this process, it never works, and most linguists today have reached the point where their work is more descriptive than prescriptive.

As my position as self-styled "Grammar Gestapo" might hint to you, I tend to be more prescriptive when it comes to language. I recognize that language changes and that the purpose of language is communication, but something in my brain just likes to see order and conformity when it comes to writing and (to a lesser extent) speech. Thus, I didn't think I would particularly enjoy working in a descriptive field.

Two alternatives were prominent in my mind: philosophy and logic. From the classes I've taken in these subjects and the (little) extracurricular reading I've done, I think I would enjoy these. As I thought about these ideas, rhetoric came to mind as another possible field of study. These fields involve critical thinking, analysis of arguments, and searching for truth. Language is an important element in all of these, and the language that is used must be precise; thus I get my fix for prescriptive grammar.

I think I would enjoy these fields, but there's another question to answer: Could I succeed in these fields? I like to think I usually do pretty well with critical thinking, but it's not something that comes easily for me. There are times when I find myself missing an obvious point or overlooking something that everyone else seems to catch. Am I cut out to be a philosopher/ logician/ rhetorician?

But the more I thought and prayed about it, the more it felt like one of these three fields would be the right way to go. And besides: the whole point of studying is to learn about these things and get better at them, right?

So, right now my tentative plan looks something like this:

Summer 2005:
(1) get a part-time job at CBU (again)
(2) take courses at CBU (again)
(3) carry out internship with Reasons to Believe (for both English Internship and Physics Research credit)

Fall 2005:
(1) complete courses at LU

Christmas Break 2005:
(1) relax a bit
(2) do some preliminary research on graduate programs and schools

Spring 2005:
(1) finish coursework at LU
(2) graduate!

Post-Graduation:
*take about a year off from school
(1) get a full-time job (preferably with CBU or RtB)
(2) conduct further research in graduate programs and schools
(3) complete some foreign language and general education courses in preparation for grad school
(4) enroll in a graduate program and go from there

Now that I've formed a plan, I'm feeling much more calm and secure about the next year. I don't know exactly where I'm headed, but I have general direction and a network of supportive family and friends. Top that off with a faith in God's sovereignty for the future, and what is there to worry about?

In light of this new direction, I thought it might be appropriate to make some changes to the blog. Let me know what you think: Do you like the new look?