With this being my last semester at CU I can definitely look back and feel like I spent my time here well. I have been learning the necessary skills and knowledge that will help me in my future endeavors out in the real world. However, I am a firm believer in making your time count wherever you are and seeing how I am still here I really want to make this last semester count. I want to continue learning new skills and mastering the ones I already have. I have signed up for additional courses like the raspberry Pi workshop and welding and plan to continue to pursue these workshops throughout the semester.
Another thing I consider a high priority is to enjoy the time you have left with the people you love. I am not dying but graduation is a huge life change for people especially when we all are moving to different states and starting new lives. I think it is very important to spend time with your friends and really use this short time you have left to ensure the relationships you made freshman year don’t end at graduation but continue to last throughout our lives. So every weekend my friends and I have been going on a spontaneous trip or checking things off our boulder bucket list like brewery tours, sledding, spending a day in Fort Collins or Golden and other things with sentimental meaning for us.
For my career, I honestly don’t care what I am doing, where I am, or how much I make as long as I am happy. I could be working for Boeing or Google and be making 6 figures starting off but if I am not happy with my life I don’t care about the prestige of the job. I suffered through engineering school with the satisfaction that we can do almost anything we want and that we have so many more opportunities out there than the average college grad but if we are miserable in our careers, what was all that suffering for during college? Now don’t confuse me with avoiding a challenging career, I love a good challenge but if your boss is a horrible person and you hate showing up to work everyday then you will live the rest of your life completely miserable but with a ton of money that somehow will justify why you hate your life. I don’t plan on being a bum or working at Burger King but I just recognize all the amazing opportunities we have out there and want to take the one that will allow me to be my best and happiest self. I am looking into engineering careers that help the community or allow me to give back some how. Something like engineers without boarders or working for bridges to prosperity. Regardless, I am so excited for what is ahead of me!
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You have the right ideas on career and job satisfaction, don’t ever let a paycheck get in the way of happiness, rich and miserable ==> broke and alone, something I have witnessed first hand. It is important to remember never to settle, always drive forward, always find a way to improve, knowing that hard work and ambition speak for themselves and open all doors. If all else fails some of the funnest times I have ever had was while driving pizzas for delivery or washing dishes, giving myself time to unplug, reset, or refocus a dream.
That second paragraph hits hard. I’ve been realizing lately that many of my closest friends from my undergrad and high school days have moved on. Some have moved away to different states, others have become impossibly tied up with work, others have started families, and others still have just drifted away. I still get the occasional text or snapchat, and even get to spend a few hours with them once in a long while, but it’s become clear to me that things just aren’t the same anymore. It’s so important to cherish that time while you have it.
That said, there’s always room for new people and new memories. Here’s to finishing the year strong!