It Is Never Too Late to Find Your True Calling
Many people decide their career path from an early age, but I was 24 when I chose mine. I walked a long way to discover what is my true calling in life, which is to help plan the future of humanity in space. A conference at Harvard University in February 2019 helped me realize that space governance is the field through which I can contribute to the wellbeing of the current and next generations and give something back to all countries in which I studied and helped me achieve my career goals. Being a multipotentialite, it was difficult to decide on a career based on my related but different interests: economics, finance, IR, governance. Interestingly, my new passion does not distance me from my previous aspirations. I can continue pursuing them, just that I am applying them in the space domain. The current reflection illustrates how I discovered my true calling, under which circumstances, what obstacles I encountered, how I worked to accomplish my goal, and what the rewards of all these efforts were. The lessons from my high-impact experience were to not judge a book by its cover, to embrace new challenging opportunities, and show commitment to any chosen career path.
Curiosity and open-mindedness in exploring new paths contributed to the decision of choosing space governance as a career path. When I was the delegate of my nation for a Harvard conference, I did not see the connection between my track and one of the seminars. My track was in governance and geopolitics, which seemed much different than the Race in Space topic. I was afraid I would not understand it because I did not have advanced knowledge on the subject or any technical background. The seminar showed me how the topic correlates with my track. Contrary to my belief, it did not focus on the technical side nor on what astronauts do in space or what changes their bodies suffer. Instead, it brought up the most pressing governance issues that have to be managed well to not negatively impact the future of humanity in space and on Earth. Specifically, it emphasized the unpredictable implications of potential space war and other space activities that might affect life on Earth. The speakers from NASA, SpaceX, Harvard, and Pardee RAND Graduate School pointed out the urgent need for new international law to prevent serious consequences.
Not only did I understand the relevance of the seminar to my track, but I was also fascinated by it and inspired to redirect my career path by focusing on space governance. I understood the most pressing issues and why there is a need for leaders worldwide to unite to come up with policies that harmonize the acceleration of space activities with the peaceful use of outer space. I realized that space governance is the field through which I can impact the wellbeing of the current and next generation. It would allow me to give back to all of the countries where I studied and achieved my career goals. However, I did not receive support from my mother in choosing space as a new career path. This made it harder to reach my goal.
By doing my best, showing commitment, and spreading my passion, I succeeded in demonstrating to my parents that I have chosen the right career path. Since I attended that seminar at Harvard in February 2019, I have taken many significant steps toward pursuing a space governance career. In May 2019, I attended Astrofest in Bucharest, where I had the chance to meet our Romanian astronaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu and other Romanian space professionals. Once I moved to Texas in August 2019, I visited NASA and became a member of the Space Generation Advisory Council. I wrote many graduate research papers about space matters, specifically about space policy, law, and diplomacy. My commitment to pursuing a career in space governance included the following: publishing my first article about space, joining the Space Governance Research Group of my university, and working as a research assistant during the summer with the final goal to help establish a space center in 2021. During the internship, I led the project to write a collective article on the milestone in space exploration brought by NASA and SpaceX launch. I also became a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and I initiated the idea of developing the first class on space governance at Texas A&M. My supervisor, Dr. Justin Bullock, and I succeeded to organize this class for the fall semester. In the class, we discuss the most pressing governance issues with experts from NASA, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Blue Origin, Space Generation Advisory Council, Delalune Space, Pardee Rand Graduate School, and Harvard Law School. One of our confirmed future guest speakers is the moderator of the seminar that changed my life. Also, the same speaker invited my supervisor and me to be the point of contact of the Space Consortium at Harvard and MIT.
Helping plan the future of humanity in space
Source: Matt Novak, Gizmodo, "Here's Everything Jeff Bezos Said to Convince Humanity That Space Colonies Are the Future."
10 May 2019, Original image: Blue Origin.
Although I discovered my true calling at the age of 24, all the efforts to follow it were worth it. As a multipotentialite, I have been a beginner many times and this improved my adaptation skills. It was not hard to follow a new career path because of the huge amount of enthusiasm and curiosity that the new passion evoked in me. Every single step taken motivated me to continue discovering the wonder of the unknown. I got to meet many people united under the same passion for space who gave me a lot of energy to move forward with my newly elected career path. The emotions felt as part of these incredible communities assured me of being in the right place and choosing my career path wisely.