Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
Quarter Off
Starting at the university, you are eager, excited, and ready to start (and finish) your education as an engineer. Some argue that the quality of education at a school depends on the time to graduation. At UC Davis, that number is typically 4 years and 1 quarter for engineers. Some see this as "there is no way to finish in four years" thing, and often blame the program. However, I completely disagree with this statistic (unless it's over 5 years).
Personally, I took a quarter off for several reasons
1. Washington DC. You can't get better than living in a big city. Trust me. Totally worth it.
2. NASA, hello!? I've dreamed of going big for a while. I couldn't deny the experience. (*ssshh* it's also easier to get a NASA internship outside of summer...less competition...shhh it's a secret!)
3. Experience. Graduating without experience is....unwanted. Experience gives you perspective on your career goals and makes you an AWESOME candidate after you graduate. Is 3 months really a delay when it becomes much easier to find a job?
4. The ability to travel. This past summer, I traveled across the country and to many cities (and didn't pay a single dime out of pocket). Did I also mention that finance reports are like the greatest invention ever?
5. Network. There are sooooo many people I got to meet and hear their stories. These people are driven and want to change the world, in a good way. What is life by yourself?
6. Connections. Did I also mention that I have too many career options now? Where do I go!?
7. Learning about yourself. During these trips, I got to do an extensive amount of people watching. When you people watch, you learn a lot of yourself. Also, you learn what makes you happy, settles you down, and what you crave when you are by yourself. I found out that I love to dress up (especially after living in DC). I also love to read, write, and eat delicious Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in LA...it's something I ultimately crave.
And finally,
8. The food!!!! My personal philosophy is I would much rather die happy and fat than skinny and hungry (also, unheathy people die first, which means they won't die alone :-P). TANGENT.....Anyway...
- Texas: I found my love for Ice Tea and BBQ here (oh, and Pho! - I lived with a Vietnamese family).
- DC: Popeyes, Fried Chicken, Greek Food, Falafels.... (did I miss anything Rebekah?)
Okay, now I'm hungry.
*Image courtesy of GoAskMama
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