Reflecting on Life Plans from my Pre-College Years
Master Plan (Thoughts from summer 2010 - Age 18)
Go to UC Berkeley
Double major in Chemical Engineering and Economics
Get really awesome at badminton
Meet the love of my life
Make drastic contributions in alternative energy technology
Save the world from the energy / global warming crisis
Be married by 25
Have kids by 28
Execution (Fall 2010 - Now - Age 24)
Go to University of Rochester
Failed in execution of Education Master Plan
Switch out of chemical engineering after 1st year
Attempt to triple major in economics, statistics, and chemistry
Major in economics and statistics
Failed in execution of Concentration Master Plan
Enter the financial services industry
Accept a job without good exit options
Failed execution of career Master Plan
Senior year crisis leads to MCAT
Score decent, but realize it doesn’t make financial sense
Fall in love with potentially “The One” after college
Make mental commitment to be with said “One” for life
“One” leaves due to variety of reasons related to trust, distance, etc.
Failed in Personal Master Plan
Takeaways
Failure of education plan was beneficial
Allowed for greater growth in knowledge
Gave space for larger variety of interests
More opportunities to take advantage of during post secondary education
Failure of concentration plan seems to have negative impacts
Lack of technical knowledge prevents exploration of different career paths which require more technical backgrounds
Social science degree is perceived as “easier” compared to STEM degrees, causing hindrance in career advancements
Social science degree does not feel fulfilling
Failure of career plan looks bleak, but may have better outcomes
Dead-end job does not give skill set to move into more technical/quantitative roles
Underutilized, causing feelings of insecurity about future career and natural intelligence
No value-add to society
Failure of personal plan still TBD
End of relationship still affecting daily life
Realizing lack of ability to be single
Loss of confidence