Tuesday, December 4, 2007

conflicting thoughts and a resolution

I am a paradox.
Sometimes, I think about internships, research opportunities, activity involvement. There is this self-imposed urge to mold yourself into that perfect job candidate or graduate school applicant. The competition is intense. Opportunities are scarce and even more restricted for international kids. Sometimes, I dream about being an entrepreneur, making real difference. Then it seems that liberal arts college education does not exactly prepares you for that. that is the job of schools like Wharton.

Then sometimes, I think I do appreciate the meaning of a liberal arts education. i believe that undergraduate study imparts many skills to you. sometimes i believe just knowing about different fields and understanding concepts like liberalism and social contract would make me a better person.

But everyone needs to face the reality, which is competitive, full of bills and temptations. To what extent should i be contented with the bubble, with the ivory tower and give myself the peace of mind. To what extent should i entertain the rat race?

The biggest question comes to if i should major in engineering and economics in swarthmore, knowing that I do not wanna be an engineer all my life. I wanna engage in creative activities. does engineering give me that fulfillment? How do you know if you will like something until you really try it? should i take it on for the purpose of building a solid foundation for the future?

But you know what... i say to myself that life is a roller-coaster, you can only anticipate so much, know so much. taking chances is probably just part of life. the good thing is that there are always more than one door. the ability to learn new things matter more than what you already know and what you are about to know in the next three years. Able people succeed anywhere. You will.

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