GamerX
04-12-2002, 03:35 PM
First off, two things:
1. This is my 1000th post. Yay me. I figured I might as well make it a good one.
2. I said I'd never start a thread on here, but I feel inclined, and this board really is better than I originally gave it credit for being.
That being said, prepare for a long one. I've had a lot on my mind lately...
Ever since I applied to college, people have asked me that age-old question - "Well, what do you want to do with your life?" And not in the way you ask a 7 year old, waiting for a cutesy answer, but seriously asking me what I intended to make of my life after college. I guess there has always been high expectations of me, even though they were never put on me in a bad way. I breezed through High School with a 3.92 gpa. 3rd in my graduating class of roughly 290 students. I never tried. Homework was only done if it was graded. Tests went unstudied for consistently. I didn't evenstudy for the SAT's, ACT's, regents exams or my AP exams - I did more than adequate on all. When I got accepted to Cornell, everyone in my family, friends etc. were proud of me, but I really didn't care. I never did when it came to academia. It's just not my "thing." Sure, I'm smart, people have always told me that, and I know it too, but it just never mattered to me. Nothing did. The awards, grades, nothing. They're small things compared to what else was/is in my life. Anyway, back to the original point - I'd always tell people when asked what I wanted to do: "Well, I'm not quite sure yet. I still have time to figure it out."
So that line worked for about 2 years. Now I'm on the verge of being half way done with my college education, and the same people are still asking me the same question. I still don't know. I'm a Biological Sciences major, with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Good for me. I'll get my degree in it, and probably with honors too. What I'll do with that degree, I haven't the faintest idea. The problem I have is not that there isn't anything that grabs my interest; it's that everything grabs my interest. I love Eco & Evo, don't get me wrong. I'm also fascinated by Physics. Chemistry comes easy to me, and I enjoy it too. I love Graphic Design. Hell, that's where a huge chunk of my free time goes. Math has always been my strongest subject, and one that also fascinates me. My Shakespeare professor practically begged me to switch to an English major. I would enjoy that too. My favorite line of courses in High School? Architecture. You can see how this gets confusing...
The problem I have, is two fold. One, I have a horrible time deciding things like this. I know whatever I decide, will be what I do with at least the next few years of my life. That scares me. I'll admit it. That's why I've stuck with Bio. No reason to change if whatever I change to will make me just as uncertain. Secondly, although my interest is sparked in all these areas, I honesly cannot see myself pursuing a career in any of them. I guess you could say that I'm just not passionate about anything in that respect. Sure I enjoy many things, but none truly captivate me.
All of this got me to thinking the other night. I'm sure you all have heard the saying - "Think about what you'd do with your life if you didn't have to worry about how much money you'd make. That, is what you should do for a career." I think that's a very true statement, and would probably help a lot of people. It helped me. I'm sure some of you at least have also seen Office Space. The main character basically answers this question, by saying he'd do nothing. Nothing at all. I'm exactly like that guy. You want to know what I'd do with my life if I didn't have to worry about money? I'll tell you -
I'd design a home in the Adirondacks (Upstate NY mountains). Have people build it for me, and just do nothing all day long. I'd wake up, make my wife a huge breakfast (assuming I'm married, which I plan to be) , and go for a early morning swim in the lake. I'd read the paper (and by paper I mean the Sports and Comics, everything else is just depressing and boring). I'd hike all throughout those mountains; I'd canoe in every lake and down every river. I'd watch the sunset nightly. I'd build a fire at night and read - every great novel there was to read. I'd crawl into bed whenever I got tired, and wake up whenever I felt rested. Then do it all over again. My career would be experiencing nature, and my knowledge would be of the environment in which I lived. No research, no deadlines, no meetings. That would be my life. And I would love it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I think it did help.
<P ID="signature">Peace...
<img src=http://thegallery.vimm.net/gxy.png>
The Gallery of X (http://thegallery.vimm.net/)
Copyright owner of the name Ian™®© </P>
1. This is my 1000th post. Yay me. I figured I might as well make it a good one.
2. I said I'd never start a thread on here, but I feel inclined, and this board really is better than I originally gave it credit for being.
That being said, prepare for a long one. I've had a lot on my mind lately...
Ever since I applied to college, people have asked me that age-old question - "Well, what do you want to do with your life?" And not in the way you ask a 7 year old, waiting for a cutesy answer, but seriously asking me what I intended to make of my life after college. I guess there has always been high expectations of me, even though they were never put on me in a bad way. I breezed through High School with a 3.92 gpa. 3rd in my graduating class of roughly 290 students. I never tried. Homework was only done if it was graded. Tests went unstudied for consistently. I didn't evenstudy for the SAT's, ACT's, regents exams or my AP exams - I did more than adequate on all. When I got accepted to Cornell, everyone in my family, friends etc. were proud of me, but I really didn't care. I never did when it came to academia. It's just not my "thing." Sure, I'm smart, people have always told me that, and I know it too, but it just never mattered to me. Nothing did. The awards, grades, nothing. They're small things compared to what else was/is in my life. Anyway, back to the original point - I'd always tell people when asked what I wanted to do: "Well, I'm not quite sure yet. I still have time to figure it out."
So that line worked for about 2 years. Now I'm on the verge of being half way done with my college education, and the same people are still asking me the same question. I still don't know. I'm a Biological Sciences major, with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Good for me. I'll get my degree in it, and probably with honors too. What I'll do with that degree, I haven't the faintest idea. The problem I have is not that there isn't anything that grabs my interest; it's that everything grabs my interest. I love Eco & Evo, don't get me wrong. I'm also fascinated by Physics. Chemistry comes easy to me, and I enjoy it too. I love Graphic Design. Hell, that's where a huge chunk of my free time goes. Math has always been my strongest subject, and one that also fascinates me. My Shakespeare professor practically begged me to switch to an English major. I would enjoy that too. My favorite line of courses in High School? Architecture. You can see how this gets confusing...
The problem I have, is two fold. One, I have a horrible time deciding things like this. I know whatever I decide, will be what I do with at least the next few years of my life. That scares me. I'll admit it. That's why I've stuck with Bio. No reason to change if whatever I change to will make me just as uncertain. Secondly, although my interest is sparked in all these areas, I honesly cannot see myself pursuing a career in any of them. I guess you could say that I'm just not passionate about anything in that respect. Sure I enjoy many things, but none truly captivate me.
All of this got me to thinking the other night. I'm sure you all have heard the saying - "Think about what you'd do with your life if you didn't have to worry about how much money you'd make. That, is what you should do for a career." I think that's a very true statement, and would probably help a lot of people. It helped me. I'm sure some of you at least have also seen Office Space. The main character basically answers this question, by saying he'd do nothing. Nothing at all. I'm exactly like that guy. You want to know what I'd do with my life if I didn't have to worry about money? I'll tell you -
I'd design a home in the Adirondacks (Upstate NY mountains). Have people build it for me, and just do nothing all day long. I'd wake up, make my wife a huge breakfast (assuming I'm married, which I plan to be) , and go for a early morning swim in the lake. I'd read the paper (and by paper I mean the Sports and Comics, everything else is just depressing and boring). I'd hike all throughout those mountains; I'd canoe in every lake and down every river. I'd watch the sunset nightly. I'd build a fire at night and read - every great novel there was to read. I'd crawl into bed whenever I got tired, and wake up whenever I felt rested. Then do it all over again. My career would be experiencing nature, and my knowledge would be of the environment in which I lived. No research, no deadlines, no meetings. That would be my life. And I would love it.
Thanks for taking the time to read this. I think it did help.
<P ID="signature">Peace...
<img src=http://thegallery.vimm.net/gxy.png>
The Gallery of X (http://thegallery.vimm.net/)
Copyright owner of the name Ian™®© </P>