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Dishita Agarwal

ELA Core 3

Ms. Powell

22 February 19

My Dream Job

When I was two, I was diagnosed with Long QT Syndrome. My family learnt that I

would need expensive surgeries every 4-6 years in my life. A little while later, I learnt I had

muscular atrophy. Luckily, my family was fortunate to be able to pay for my health and give me

a good life. From a young age, I have realized how many people might have problems just like

me and aren’t able to get the help they need because of world leaders who are not focused on

providing for them. I believe having a job in the United Nations would be perfect for me because

I could be involved more and more in global issues that interest me as my rank got higher, my

salary over time would enable me to pay for my education and I would have a good standard of

living in which I could travel and pay for my medical needs.

First of all, global affairs has always been an interest of mine and being part of the United

Nation would have me surrounded by them every day. My ultimate goal in the United Nations

would be to be the Under Secretary General of the Department of Political and Peacebuilding

Affairs (DPPA). It would take a lot of years of experience and work to get to that rank, mainly

working as a political officer, but at least I would be doing what I love. The description of the

DPPA says that “The [DPPA]... manages Special Political Missions (SPMs) engaged in conflict

prevention, peacemaking and post-conflict peacebuilding around the world” (“What We Do”).

Engaging in conflict prevention and peacemaking would help me support all the people who

have medical problems and I could promote laws and rules that would keep it that way. I feel
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like my purpose in life is to help people and through this job, I would be actively involved in

making this purpose come true.

Second, as part of the United Nations, I would be able to get a salary that would help me

pay off the loans from my advanced education. As per United Nations’ career information sheets,

To get a job at the DPPA you need a masters or PhD degree in things like political science and

international relations (“Working in the Field”). Since the UN is very competitive, going to a

nice college would be a great asset. One of the highest ranked schools in world for both political

science and international relations is Princeton University. A Foreign Policy article said that

when IR scholars were asked to rank the best programs in their field, Princeton was number two

with 49.14% (“ Best International Relations Schools”). However, it is very costly. As per

Princeton University’s fees page, the estimated cost for undergraduates this year was $73,450

(“Fees & Payment”). To be able to pay my loans as quickly as possible and start a successful

career, I would have to work hard to be part of the United Nations Young Professionals Program.

As per YPUN’s official website, this program’s starting salary is $63,625 per year (“Career

Prospects”). This will be more than enough for me to pay my student loans. According to an U.S

News article, Princeton University was number four with the least amount of student loans at the

relatively low price of $9,005 (Kowarski). If I put forward around three thousand dollars per

year, I could pay off these loans very quickly along with any loans I had from my undergraduate

program. This would also leave me a lot of extra money for my other necessities.

Third, after paying my student loans, I will be able to afford the cost of living including

travel and medical needs. The United Nations headquarters are in New York City. According to

a single living in New York City for a significant amount of time, “to live a reasonably

comfortable life in New York City, a single person would need to make a salary of roughly
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$40,000 per year” (“How Much Money”). This would get me a proper place to live,

entertainment, utilities, and also some money to save. The two main things I would save for

would be medical bills and retirement. As a heart patient, I could get hefty medical bills at any

time so I would have to put a lot more into savings than an average person. Retirement seems

like something that shouldn’t be as big as a part of young people’s lives, but as per a CNBC

article, the sooner you start saving for it, the less money you need to save per month and you will

be able to have peaceful senior years (Elkins). As a part of the United Nations, I would have to

travel a lot. This would limit how large of family I would have and when I would have it. Also,

New York City is not the best place to raise a family so I would probably wait until I was getting

a good enough salary in which I could support a whole family on my own and have had paid all

my loans. Until then, I would be able to have a comfortable life alone in the amazing New York

City.

Overall, being part of the United Nations would be a dream come true. It would be

difficult and competitive, but it’s something worth spending time for. I could see many places all

around the world. Of course, I would have to face my own personal medical problems, by going

to some areas that could potentially harm me with my conditions, but it would be all part of the

experience. In the end, it is not about the money you make or where you live. It is about how

much you make an impact on other people’s lives. When picking your dream job, this should be

the most important factor and it should be fully personalized for you. There are so many options,

but for me, it is the United Nations.

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Works Cited

“Career Prospects.” YPUN, ypun.org/ypp/career-prospects/.

Elkins, Kathleen. “1 In 3 Americans Have Less than $5,000 Saved for Retirement-Here's Why so

Many People Can't Save.” CNBC, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2018,

www.cnbc.com/2018/08/27/1-in-3-americans-have-less-than-5000-dollars-saved-for-
retirement.html.

“Fees & Payment Options | Princeton University Admission.” Princeton University, The
Trustees

of Princeton University, admission.princeton.edu/cost-aid/fees-payment-options.

“How Much Money Do You Need to Live in New York City?” Stefanie O'Connell, 4 Mar. 2018,

stefanieoconnell.com/much-need-live-new-york-city/.

Kowarski, Ilana. “10 Colleges Where Graduates Have the Least Debt.” U.S. News & World

Report, U.S. News & World Report,

www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/colleges-where-
graduates-have-the-least-debt.

“The Best International Relations Schools in the World.” Foreign Policy, Foreign Policy, 20
Feb.

2018,

foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/20/top-fifty-schools-international-relations-foreign-policy/.

“What We Do | Department of Political Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations,

dppa.un.org/en/what-we-do.

“Working in the Field: Political Affairs.” UN Careers.

https://careers.un.org/lbw/attachments/WorkingInTheField/EN/Political Affairs_10

UG 2015.pdf