Pondering · 8:00am Feb 28th, 2019
So, y'know how I've been spending time watching Netflix and generally unwinding in my freetime instead of writing?
Yeah, that's given me quite a bit of time to think as well, which led me to both the set of story ideas I pitched earlier on, and just some general pondering of what I'll even do with my stories in the future. Heck, I'm still wondering what I'll do with my life in the future.
My parents have always told me that it's good to be well rounded; Don't just be good at a single thing, pick up as many skills as you want and can, and they'll help you throughout life. I've come to see this as a sort of "backup option" for my future if something goes wrong.
For example, I'm currently pursuing the Computer Engineering field, which combines both hardware and software into a single entity. If, for say, I didn't get any of my choices in that field, I still have backup. I could then potentially turn to either writing stories, hardware repair, CAD design, professional piano rehearsals, or 3D modeling and animation. I would systematically go through each option until one of them works out, and relegate the rest to side-hobbies that I would dabble in with my spare time.
Though I do have a wide range of things that I've studied in, I personally enjoy Computer Science/Engineering, writing, and 3D modeling and animation the most. Along with piano music, those are the top four subjects that I've found myself to be most successful in.
But at the same time, I don't want to let go of everything else that I've done. I genuinely enjoy practically everything that I listed above, and while I do know that I eventually must stop in one thing or another, I always find myself pulled back into it.
Take, for example, piano. I took lessons from kindergarten up to my freshman year of high school. While I really didn't like many of the songs I had to play during this time, I still enjoy playing the piano from time to time. Though, with how busy I've been lately (Netflix aside, I watch at during my midnight writing sessions), the most recent time I've played anything on the piano was just a few minutes of improv while helping to set up my robotics team's annual fundraising gala while nobody else was in the room.
CAD is enjoyable, but I'm still learning. I find it nice to be able to design a wide range of parts for all sorts of things, and I know that it'll be a useful skill to combine with everything else I've picked up on when I enter the job market.
After taking two classes of 3D modeling and animation in Autodesk Maya, I've been teaching myself how to animate in Blender as well, since I don't exactly have the money to get a license for Maya once my free student license runs out. Just like piano and CAD, I both enjoy it and find it to be a useful skill in the future, and on top of that, I can make cool-lookin' stuff, too.
Hardware repair has pretty much been a hobby of mine since elementary school, when I started tinkering with thrift-store computers and figuring out what was what. If I really have to, I could do hardware repair and replacement on older systems. However, since I really don't have much access to anything very recent or high-end, I'd be mainly relegated to legacy systems that would by then be long-past old enough to be replaced by the time they need repair.
Writing stories is one of my primary backup plans. I enjoy writing because I am free to essentially create anything I want without limitation. Being able to output my imagination in a way that'd let me support myself would be a nice thing to have in case if things turn sour.
With everything else covered, we return to Computer Science and Engineering. Being part of my school's robotics team, I've actually lately found myself distancing myself from the build team, instead focusing more on the programming/design/concept portion of the team's operations. Since then, I've taught myself some rudimentary Java programming, began learning Blender, and helped redesign the robot after our primary plan went way over its deadline. I want to study more into this field, since at the moment, software and programming in general is actually my weakest spot. I'm primarily a hardware person, so I often see solutions first in hardware, whether it be mechanical or electrical. Knowing how something works in hardware would be beneficial to learning the ways of software, since I'd then be able to better understand what I'm doing, and what I want to do when programming something.
My first step in this direction was teachiny myself the fundamentals of Java programming. Next school year, I will be taking the highest class of my school's engineering program. The Capstone class is essentially a class where you not only design a working product, but must also prove that it is beneficial to the public, and worthy of being sold. Think of it as Shark Tank, except it goes far beyond the usual pitches in that you're literally trying to change the world at times. I've heard stories of seniors who've long-since graduated who've designed and build a plethora of medical devices, ranging from a smart walking stick for the blind that vibrates to warn of things in the way, to a special earpiece that helps deaf people at least feel the beat of music.
This is what I want to do in life. I want to help people, make the world a better place. Make things change for the better.
Even if I can't achieve what my highest aspirations are, I can at the very least help out with everything I've got.
Even if things fail, I know that I can rely on more than one skill to bring me back to my feet.
I know I'm not alone. My friends and family are supportive of me, and only wish for the best.
Even if things eventually come crashing down, I'll know that I at least already left a mark on the world.
Thank you.
I'm sure that whatever you decide to pursue, you'll do great!
Whatever you go with, I hope you enjoy it and are successful