My Future - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Solid Snake · #16 05-18-2011, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry

X2 on the location. However there is some good hiking and I think some good paddling in your vicinity. Join the outdoor club and start canoeing/kayaking/hiking. Maybe even some sailing on the Finger Lakes or Lake Ontario.

The wilderness is absolutely beautiful, and I do go hiking on occasion, when Upstate weather permits of course. I had a habit of sitting around the house fixing things for people, but when all the fall out occurred, I started going to our gym facilities, and Outdoor Ed seems like an even better idea. Hopefully there's an opening in the sailing class for gym credit, because that is a lovely hobby to have, especially living in Connecticut.

Jim B. · #17 05-18-2011, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

Hey guys,

Recently, I've grown tired of most of the people I call my 'friends' at school, to the point I changed friend groups twice over the course of the semester. Going to Colgate, the academics are challenging and the location doesn't make it any easier-- I don't need the stress that self-righteous college students add to the curriculum. One of the true friends I have there is from India, and coincidentally, we both have always wanted to join the armed forces, the French Foreign Legion (I'm not even joking) specifically. Now, being almost twenty years old, I'm at the point where the options for my future are narrowing, and I don't want to be behind the pack on these lifetime decisions.

Most of you, or as I generally deduce, all of you are older than me and have been around the block numerous times, while I'm still trying to make my first pass around smoothly. My question is, what is a kid to do? Should I continue at Colgate for the degree, transfer maybe? In that case, I would have to take a semester off in order to submit an application. I can join the armed forces, preferably the Air Force, and go OCS. To be frank, this is the first time I've ever put this much thought into the ordeal. I always told myself I'd be a plastic surgeon and live happily ever after. Of course, that was just limiting my outlook, and put me where I am today.

Any inputs or nuggets of wisdom are greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Carlen

The only time your "options for the future are narowng" I think, would be if you are blind, crippled and paralyzed from the neck down and in a wheel chair.

So i---
Your options are WIDE open, you are VERY lucky!!!

~~~~

The second biggest regret in my entire life was NOT finishing that final year of law school..

I gladly will join with the chorus of everybody else that says be sure and stay in school and finish your education now; it is SO easy to get distraxted by other possibiities.

I ALMOST quit University in my 3rd year to travel abroad for a year butmy parents, bless them, implored and screamed at me not to do it, and boy, were they right.

Nowadays a University degree is as essential as a high school diploma was 40 years ago....

~~~~~

The WORST mistake I made in my whole life was to get married too fast and not do my due diligence, and pay attention, first!!! Know her WELL !!!! It is perfectly fine to be single even into your 40's or beyond...

Marriage entails a RAFT of legal and contractual and other obligations, and you will find that out the hard way if or when things ever go south, as 50%of US marriages do.

That's right, HALF of them !!!!

If you doubt it, spend a couple of days in real life divorce court, listen to the trials and fighting, over things and in ways you could NEVER imagine, and you will discover that life is NOT all carrtoon butterflys and blurry Hallmark sunsets...

~~~~~~
But stay curious, alert, be optimistic, and open to experiemce and change.

It's truly an amazing wonderful world out there. Lots of wonderful people too..

And I personally believe that in your life, that occur before you are 30 years old you are entitled to make THREE huge, horrendous, hideous mistakes.

And they DON'T count. I am not alone in that thinking.

~~~~~
And as the very long time owner of the coupe version of your car, I can say with definte authority,

Be sure and always hold onto that 560SEL of yours. I think in that matter you are ALREADY in possession of one of the best vehicles ever made. It was the Mercedes Benz flagship model, and it was built to last a long long time, and it really will, *IF* you take good care of it.

It was engineered back then to a cost-no-object standard, and has withstood the test of time, it can go to intergalactic mileage, is VERY safe, stately and comfortable, and is designed for long distanxe high speed travel, primarily, like a ground bound lear jet.

Its price when new was VERy EXPENSIVE, about $75,000 and above for the last generation of the sedans, and the diplomats,multimillionaires, princes, plutocrats, and entertainment stars that bought them KNEW they were worth the money.

They are easy for mechanics to fix because they were engineered to be, and parts for them are easy to get.

And they are SO recognizable. They cannot be mistaken for anything other than a Mercedes Benz.

They are fast on their way to becoming classics, that are very useable.

~~~~

That's all I have for now.

Good luck in life's journey.I think you'll do fine.

By the way, I am 63.

THOUSAND

years old.

SwampYankee · #18 05-18-2011, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

That really seems to be the issue. It's just hard to find 'fun' in upstate New York without social connections. There is honestly nothing to do within an hours drive radius from my school, and without the social connections you build, you are hard-pressed to locate things to do with your free time.

Coming from the other side of that equation, I wish I didn't have the "fun" I did in college. There's not a lot to do in eastern CT either (I went to UConn), but I managed to do far more socializing and drinking than studying. It didn't help that UConn was on Playboy's Top 10 Party School list when I was there and I completely lacked self-discipline.

Take advantage of your lack of distractions and continue on with your studies. Unless you really want to change your major. My wife got to her last semester of her Special Education degree (all she had left was student teaching and one more class, she even passed the state teaching certification exam) when she decided she really wanted to get a Public Health degree instead. Ironically, we would have a child with special needs and she now wants to go back and finish up her teaching degree. You never know what life will throw at you.

As far as the military goes, finish up your schooling first since you've already gotten a good start on it. You might change your mind, you might not. I will always regret not doing a stint before going to college since I really could have used it but was too self-absorbed to see it at that age.

My wife and I are now both at the stages where we'd like to pursue different degrees or go graduate studies in our current ones. Marriage, kids and life have different ideas.

Solid Snake · #19 05-18-2011, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Swede

Think of these social "problems" as training. You'll be running into this same thing out in the real world; work, family, etc.

Very true. These issues have to be mediated or at least dealt with to learn from for future experiences...

Believe me, I have never been one to get caught up in this kind of thing; kind have always took to the 'live and let die' mentality. It's just here that I've been thrust into it head on unknowingly.

450slcguy · #20 05-18-2011, 11:26 AM

You need to understand that most people you now call "friends" are nothing more than associates, classmates, and colleagues sharing a common interest at a particular moment in time. When that common interest no longer exists, you'll quickly discover how many of those "friends" are complete strangers that you never really knew at all. Never ever share personal information or let your guard down for one moment when dealing with these types of people, especially in a competitive environment such as a work place.

Solid Snake · #21 05-18-2011, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim B.

The only time your "options for the future are narowng" I think, would be if you are blind, crippled and paralyzed from the neck down and in a wheel chair.

So i---
Your options are WIDE open, you are VERY lucky!!!

~~~~

The second biggest regret in my entire life was NOT finishing that final year of law school..

I gladly will join with the chorus of everybody else that says be sure and stay in school and finish your education now; it is SO easy to get distraxted by other possibiities.

I ALMOST quit University in my 3rd year to travel abroad for a year butmy parents, bless them, implored and screamed at me not to do it, and boy, were they right.

Nowadays a University degree is as essential as a high school diploma was 40 years ago....

~~~~~

The WORST mistake I made in my whole life was to get married too fast and not due my due diligence first!!! Know her WELL !!!! It is perfectly fine to be single even into your 40's or beyond...

~~~~~~
But stay curious, alert, be optimistic, and open to experiemce and change.

It'struly an amazing wonderful world out there. Lots o wonderful people too..

And I personally believe that in your life,that before you are 30 years old you are entitled to make THREE huge, horrendous, hideous mistakes.

And they DON'T count. I am not alone in that thinking.

~~~~~
And as the very long time owner of the coupe version of your car, I can say with definte authority,

Be sure and always hold onto that 560SEL of yours. I think in that matter you are ALREADY in possession of one of the best vehicles ever made. It was the Mercedes Benz flagship model, and it was built to last a long long time, and it really will, *IF* you take good care of it.

~~~~

That's all I have for now.

Good luck in life's journey.I think you'll do fine.

By the way, I am 63.

THOUSAND

years old.

This is great advice, all around. I believe my best plan is to just ignore these social qualms in favor of studies. As much of a drag that will be, My GPA and Med School options will be much greater.

As far as marriage and relationships, I used to think I wanted that perfect family with the holiday photo card, but after the end of a 5 year relationship, I realized that not everything works the way you think it should. Marriage is a big deal that I think a lot of folks in my generation take lightly-- I decided I'm not getting married until I buy a Lamborghini Countach, which I have wanted since I was 3 years old. While that sounds like a strange prerequisite, the logic is that by the time I have a Countach, I'll be old (and hopefully wise) enough to make the right choice

Girls at this school are barely interested in dating so I doubt it'll be a while before I get that serious again.

As far as my car goes, I wouldn't even dream of getting rid of it, unless for an SEC in similar condition. It's been more reliable to me than anything else in my life, and has timeless character that can be enjoyed well into the future.

Thanks,

Carlen

(P.S. I have no idea how to multiquote so thats why I do these responses one at a time)

Solid Snake · #22 05-18-2011, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee

Coming from the other side of that equation, I wish I didn't have the "fun" I did in college. There's not a lot to do in eastern CT either (I went to UConn), but I managed to do far more socializing and drinking than studying. It didn't help that UConn was on Playboy's Top 10 Party School list when I was there and I completely lacked self-discipline.

Take advantage of your lack of distractions and continue on with your studies. Unless you really want to change your major. My wife got to her last semester of her Special Education degree (all she had left was student teaching and one more class, she even passed the state teaching certification exam) when she decided she really wanted to get a Public Health degree instead. Ironically, we would have a child with special needs and she now wants to go back and finish up her teaching degree. You never know what life will throw at you.

As far as the military goes, finish up your schooling first since you've already gotten a good start on it. You might change your mind, you might not. I will always regret not doing a stint before going to college since I really could have used it but was too self-absorbed to see it at that age.

My wife and I are now both at the stages where we'd like to pursue different degrees or go graduate studies in our current ones. Marriage, kids and life have different ideas.

That last segment really hit me-- I definitely need to wrap this up before I get entangled in all of life's 'other' plans. You have to sacrifice now to enjoy greater rewards in the future...

I see the partying perspective, thats for sure. I have friends at UConn, my cousin (God have mercy on his soul) goes to Penn State and I of course at Colgate, partying is one of the few social distractions the campuses have to offer. While I like to unwind, I don't like staying unwound, if that makes any sense. I don't drink alcohol, but the exorbitant amount people consume here makes me think about if drinking it to the point of blacking out could even be considered fun. At least as DD I can remember all the dumb stuff they say and do while inebriated

As far as majors go, I thought I'd make a good Bio major, but recently I've decided to go for Economics, as I feel my over analytical mind is much better suited for that style of thinking. Plus having a strong business sense when opening a medical practice will definitely be a major plus.

My cousin's dad is the director for Special Education at Fairfield-Warde High, and when I was younger that interaction made me very sensitive to their position and needs. While I've never been very good at empathy, special people are most often the only ones I find myself sympathetic towards...

Solid Snake · #23 05-18-2011, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450slcguy

You need to understand that most people you now call "friends" are nothing more than associates, classmates, and colleagues sharing a common interest at a particular moment in time. When that common interest no longer exists, you'll quickly discover how many of those "friends" are complete strangers that you never really knew at all. Never ever share personal information or let your guard down for one moment when dealing with these types of people, especially in a competitive environment such as a work place.

I learned that the hard way two summers ago-- I'll never mix business with pleasure again. It ruins both aspects altogether. I'm exceptionally competitive, and giving someone an edge by showing my soft spot happened only once. Based on the fact my coworker and I despise each other now, I don't foresee that happening again any time soon.

As far as my 'friends' at school go, I have never held them to the same standards I do at home. In Connecticut I only have maybe 5-6 friends, but I know that they are there for anything I need within their ability. At school, well... Let's just say I have given more than I have gotten...

dynalow · #24 05-18-2011, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

Social complications as well as boredom with the curriculum. While it's a great school with great facilities and alumnus organizations, I don't know how any alumnus got to that point without wanting to shoot themselves! The teachers are great and try keep it interesting, it's just hard to find Natural sciences interesting while taking the information to heart.

As cliche as that may have been, it's overused for a reason

Honestly, some of my friends are the best people I've ever met, but some just turned into fire-breathing dragons and harpies.

Seems to me you are dealing with typical Finals Stress. It's the time of the season.

I think I would find Natural Sciences hard to get intrerested in too. But that's just me

.
Have you considered a change in cirruculum?
BTW, does that field of study make you a strong candidate for Med. School? Or a strong candidate for OCS?

And speaking of the Air Force, there's two types of officers in that branch. Those that fly and those that wait on those that fly. Which are you likely to be? My brother went to the Air Force Academy. His vision couldn't pass muster to fly. Graduated and took a commission in the Army. The only planes he saw were the ones he jumped out of! RLTW!

I echo the sentiments of others: Stay in school. Get the degree NOW. It'll never be easier and never be chaper than it is now.

Get away. Go home for the summer, travel, think, whatever.

Fulcrum525 · #25 05-18-2011, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Solid Snake

As far as marriage and relationships, I used to think I wanted that perfect family with the holiday photo card, but after the end of a 5 year relationship, I realized that not everything works the way you think it should. Marriage is a big deal that I think a lot of folks in my generation take lightly-- I decided I'm not getting married until I buy a Lamborghini Countach, which I have wanted since I was 3 years old. While that sounds like a strange prerequisite, the logic is that by the time I have a Countach, I'll be old (and hopefully wise) enough to make the right choice

Girls at this school are barely interested in dating so I doubt it'll be a while before I get that serious again.

As far as my car goes, I wouldn't even dream of getting rid of it, unless for an SEC in similar condition. It's been more reliable to me than anything else in my life, and has timeless character that can be enjoyed well into the future.

Thanks,

Carlen

(P.S. I have no idea how to multiquote so thats why I do these responses one at a time)

I recommend actually driving a Countach before you decide on buying one

As for multiple quotes, I never played with the multi-quote system either. I just use tabs and do it manually which works fine.

tbomachines · #26 05-18-2011, 01:18 PM

SS, stay in school. Its tough at times but a degree from Colgate will take you far in life. If you have to cut some social ties then thats a sacrafice you have to make for your future. If you decide to leave and not get a 4 year degree I guarantee you'll be looking back and regretting it for a while, simply because its a foot in the door. I too contemplated dropping out after my freshman year (grades were terrible too) and ultimately decided against it...I'm now in a masters' program and applying for PhDs. Things get better, college is one of the best investments someone can make.

Solid Snake · #27 05-18-2011, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dynalow

Seems to me you are dealing with typical Finals Stress. It's the time of the season.

I think I would find Natural Sciences hard to get intrerested in too. But that's just me

.
Have you considered a change in cirruculum?
BTW, does that field of study make you a strong candidate for Med. School? Or a strong candidate for OCS?

And speaking of the Air Force, there's two types of officers in that branch. Those that fly and those that wait on those that fly. Which are you likely to be? My brother went to the Air Force Academy. His vision couldn't pass muster to fly. Graduated and took a commission in the Army. The only planes he saw were the ones he jumped out of! RLTW!

I echo the sentiments of others: Stay in school. Get the degree NOW. It'll never be easier and never be chaper than it is now.

Get away. Go home for the summer, travel, think, whatever.

I'm already back for the summer; I'm reflecting on this past semester and how it made me feel about the school and how I should proceed.

While it doesn't make me more attractive for either (Physics would do me well for Air Force, I reckon), to pass the MCATs I need to know this jazz to even think about applying for Med School. Organic Chem next semester is going to be a real bear, too.

To fly, I would need corrective surgery, and even at that, I don't think I'd fit in a modern fighter as I'll probably be approaching 6'2" by the end of the year... I don't think I'm bada$$ enough to be connected to the carnage that way; gunner on a gunship or fighter jock seems more my style-- I couldn't do what the Rangers do at all.

Solid Snake · #28 05-18-2011, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fulcrum525

I recommend actually driving a Countach before you decide on buying one

Definitely not a car I would own as long as I live full-time in Connecticut haha. Heavy handling coupled with poor visibility and massive dimensions won't do me any favors in the I-95/I-91 interchange

#29 05-18-2011, 01:55 PM

As the others have said, finish you degree if possible. It is always better to have options. If you decide to join the military, having a degree will increase your options there as well. Maybe you can get them to send you to medical school, if that's what you still want to do.

sjh · #30 05-18-2011, 03:09 PM

being almost twenty years old, I'm at the point where the options for my future are narrowing

Stop what you are doing. Recognize the absurdity of the above statement. Do some hard, physical labor for a year. Slow your mind down. Breathe. DON'T do any drugs/alcohol/tobacco.

Become like a machine and become good at it. When you are stable re-evaluate.

Recognize the absurdity of your statement above. You are constricting and restricting yourself.

Frank Lloyd Wright's best work was after 65!