Well... here we go again. This has been a weird week for me. I had my first big test, pledged a fraternity, bought a new hat, started (kinda) journaling, been sick, and am already questioning what my true passions are. Needless to say, it's been a rough one (but this is what college is all about right? right?!?). Okay so I'm gonna touch on alot of things and get to the whole networking thing and hopefully this will all make sense in the end. So, let's go.
I'll start with the networking assignment. So I came into college anti-fraternity. I wanted to 100% focus on my school work and I had visions of not going out and I was like "hey, I can handle sacrificing my social life." So push came to shove and I started talking to fraternity guys and hanging out with my friends and I realized that the social aspect (for me) is an important aspect of college that I want to experience. Basically my debate was this: add a huge time commitment to my schedule which potentially risks wounding my GPA BUT get life long connections (you didn't think I was gonna make a networking connection, did you?) or get a solid GPA and potentially go crazy. What it boiled down to was the fact that I ultimately control my GPA and I know if I'm smart, I can keep a good GPA and enjoy the benefits of a fraternity. Pledging starts Monday so keep my well-being in your thoughts.
Aside from my fraternity, I did (kinda) do/think of some networking plans. Ultimately, the best way to network at this point is to simply be social and make friends. Because we're all pretty much in the same freshman boat, there aren't too many things I can look for in a person now; I can just make friends and hope one of them becomes president so I can be VP (just kidding, but you get the idea). A more solid thing that I've been a part of is that in my iEFX group, we created a facebook discussion where we all post our schedules in hopes of forming study groups. Hopefully that works out well.
The last action I'm taking is going to see my faculty advisor. I really have no clue what to expect or what I plan on talking about (or who my FA is, for that matter), but I wrote down where I can set up an appointment on a sticky note and it's about 20 inches in front of my face right now. So yeah, that's where I'm at right now and although it's nothing huge, it's something.
And now time to rant!
So I actually took some Goldberg to heart (shocking, I know) and I bought a little notebook in which I plan on quasi-journaling. I don't want to be like (insert famous person who journals/journaled too much) and journal everyday, but I've found that during times of stress (like... say... now), it really helps to sit back, relax, contemplate, and get all my thoughts out on paper. So, yeah, hopefully that helps improve my writing a little bit.
Next topic: being sick.
Synopsis: It sucks. But Advil PM makes me sleep so well. Thank God I'm almost out or I'd probably be snorting it within a couple months.
Lastly: It takes some balls to write about this on my engineering blog, but I'm semi-questioning my future as an engineer. All this talk about doing something I'm "passionate" about and how "if I love what I do, I won't work a day in my life," has got me a little scared. It's way (like super way) too early to make a decision on this, but I'm not really sure what I'm passionate about, in all honesty. I've always loved helping out those who are in need (and that's the main reason why I wanted to become a civil engineer), but I kinda re-found my passion for the outdoors and wildlife. As a kid, I loved Steve Erwin and everything he did. I eventually grew out of it, but my liking for animals and nature stayed. I think if I had to choose one passion, it would be the latter of the two (outdoors/wildlife), but I don't really see a career in that. If I could be Steve Erwin tomorrow (minus that whole dying thing), I would 100% abandon ship for it, but really how many Steve Erwins are there? I've got time and maybe my FA can help me out a little. I'm also going back to home base this weekend so maybe my parents can provide some wisdom.
PS- damn this whole blogging thing and making me spew my feelings. I gotta go do something manly.
Cheers to uncertainty,
Andrew
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ReplyDeleteAndrew, that was quite some rant you went on i must say haha. Networking with a fraternity is a great reason to joining one; it is actually one of the reasons i chose to join one also. Finding a good balance between fun and work will be challenging, especially with pledge-ship beginning now. What better time to learn time management! I hope Civil works out for you, i am also in it. What interests you about the wilderness? Is it the wildlife and animals aspect, or the variety of vegetation? Find a way to take what you like, and explore other fields of engineering.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, have you considered environmental engineering? I'm not exactly sure what that is, but I'd imagine it would mix an engineering curriculum with enough outdoorsy stuff to keep you interested...just a thought.... Haha I like the cheers to uncertainty! How are we as freshman supposed to know exactly what will interest us decades in the future? Perhaps that is another advantage of networking....The more people we know, the more likely we are to run into someone with a similar life story, allowing us to learn from their mistake or just heed whatever advice they can offer.
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