this is not a career plan

Hello from the much cooler climate of Canberra, which for those who didn't know, is the capital of Australia (that's right - some random city in the middle of nowhere, not Melbourne or Sydney). 

What am I doing in Canberra? Going to uni - no, I don't go to UWA, I actually attend ANU and every now and again they like to make sure we're alive and doing okay, so we fly over and attend classes and get to hang out with the other people doing my course all over Australia (there are 8 of us in second year). 

Today we discussed the topic of planning a career, in which our teacher proclaimed we were to have a 5-year plan...

Seriously? Who on earth knows where they'll be in FIVE years time?!

I'll be 33 in five years time, that's about all I know. 

I finish my Master of Philosophy in Applied Epidemiology on December 12 this year (283 days #thesiscountdown) - I'll then be going home to Melbourne to celebrate my Mum's big b'day and then going to sit on a beach for a week before going back to Melbourne for Christmas. 

And that's where my formal plans end. 

That's not even a 1 year plan...

I know I eventually want to work with refugees and displaced people groups, helping provide basic hygiene and sanitation and preventing spread of disease. But as how to get there I'm not too sure.

Whilst this sounds rather irresponsible - having spent the past 3.5 years at university in post-graduate studies working my butt off in order to obtain entry into my chosen career field you would think I would have more foresight. But it's not that easy. In this industry, it's not only what you know, but it's who you know and being in the right place at the right time; basically good "luck". 

Sure, it's down to "luck", but for me it's down to having faith that God has it under control - that he has a plan and it will all work out in the end. This doesn't mean that I sit back and wait for life to arrive on a silver platter - no way, that's not how life works! I will be putting myself out there, volunteering and learning french and trying to glean as much wisdom as I can from the amazing people who are in my life right now. 

But what I do know is that there's no point stressing about it.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" Jeremiah 29:11 [ESV]