I was fortunate enough to give a short talk on my perspective via a recent ACSU event featuring a panel of seniors. That talk was oriented towards my perspective in context of the CS major.
To summarize, I talked about how I didn’t let myself take opportunities that reflected my true interests. My goals became distorted with the self-perpetuated image of what an ideal CS major should be doing. I gave this talk because I wanted to encourage students to take steps in realizing their goals in the foreseeable future. Whether this means creating milestones or asking for accountability, whatever – do what you need to do.
Without action, goals can easily be melded by procrastination until they become impossible. Over the years, my 4 year plan became a 6 year plan, then an 8 year plan. What’s stopping it from becoming a 12, 16, 20 year plan? This trajectory leads nowhere. If I’m not willing to sacrifice time and effort now as an investment, I can’t be surprised if in twenty years I am nowhere near where I wanted to be.
Dreams do not die overnight. They breathe or suffocate in the smallest of actions, in the right or wrong trade-offs with our limited time, in the filled pauses or empty silence of our days. As time passes and expectations are grounded, I hope for the wisdom to understand the shifting goalposts of dreams, to not water down the possible, and to know when and when not to compromise. The full-time life is marked with even more freedom and time compared to college, and I hope to use it well. Friends – keep me accountable.
Adventures 