an addendum – there is always hope – hell, when i first applied (did so twice before i was hired) i thought the same thing. i had a bfa in graphic design and a lot of enthusiasm, but not a lot else. one year made a huge difference and mostly by pursuing other dreams that happened to fit together with my antarctic one. besides, antarctica will probably be the only place you’ll work where the dishwashers generally have bachelors, masters, or doctorate degrees. it’s a grand and bizarre world.