to infinity, and beyond?
as most of you know, i'm working at a snobby five star restaurant that is making me go from broke to broker. so, i decided to start picking up shifts as a banquet server, which pays far better.
last night, i was a banquet server for the national space symposium, one of the broadmoor's largest events. there were roughly 1,100 people there, including (i think) buzz aldrin. i chatted with a guy for a bit in the beginning who was sitting at the raytheon table. he told me that java is the only language people in their industry use. java happens to be my native [programming] language. how exciting. turns out he is the head of the midwest sector of raytheon. he seemed like a really good guy.
i realized, too, that of the 1,100 people in that room, wearing business suits and playing on really expensive palm pilots, very powerful and important, are not as wise, smart, or talented as they make you believe they are (more on that). they're really just older fifth graders. they all stood around beforehand, waiting for the cool kids to sit down so they could sit next to them. after not too long, i realized that this "important" event was a fifth grade book report for a class of 1,100 kids with huge allowances and rich parents.
since no one on the banquet staff speaks english, i found myself speaking in chinese (my foreign language), though no one could understand anyway. and i realized that i have something to offer. for those of you who know me well, this is kind of a big deal. what you people call confidence is not something i'm too familiar with. i speak some chinese, i kind of understand computers and how they work, and i'm extremely good looking (haha). so, after a bunch of caffeine and reflection on these thoughts, i concluded something:
i'm gonna go to graduate school.
maybe not next year, or the year after, but eventually i'll further my education. i really like computers, and if i choose to be a computer guy professionally, i'd rather it be on the writing end rather than the this-is-how-you-plug-in-your-mouse end. it'll still take some serious thinking, and effort (which is a turn off, i admit). i'll have to do the application stuff and bla bla bla. but that's not what's exciting. the exciting part is that i actually want to do that. i wonder what kind of money i'd make as a PhD on the railroad...
comments:
What a big decision! It sounds like a good one. I don't think anyone ever really regrets going to grad school as long as it's for something that you enjoy. However, if the grad school happens to fall through, you shouldn't worry. Your studliness factor will take you far.
Lizerbeam | April 11 @ 4:10pm
Yea Peter. I think it's good too. Your certainly talented enough with computers to get somewhere with that. Such as, a Social Networking music site where you keep track of what people listen to and the stats that it involves. I really think that your method of handling it is better than Last.fm, since you choose when to submit and the changes happen instantly. With last.fm, you have to wait for a weekly report. Just a thought...
hulkamaniac | April 11 @ 5:46pm
yay grad school!
holly | April 11 @ 7:43pm
whoa. Buzz Aldrin! Sweet clever headline to go along with that! Nice.
Will | April 11 @ 9:26pm
I really appreciate the thought you put into your entry titles, too.
kate | April 11 @ 10:27pm