You are the Change

I spent most of my academic days trying to figure it out. The situation of self and the realization of “having career opportunities” with qualifications. I am not going to lie to a teenager like most educators trying hard to keep a facade, Schooling does not necessarily make you who you want to become.

In school, I tried many courses they offered. I tried a bit of information technology, elective mathematics and creative writing. For all the years, I even tried a lot of history courses. Of all the years and hours spent at home and at school beat myself over the head with homework I learned very little which is relevant. Of all all the things I learned, I know for certain is algebra is only thing which has solid applications as a course. Everything else is a basis on opinion and extrapolation. Essay writing can help build an organized opinion. History helped with developing critical thinking. Of all the English classes, I can say I can write and describe experience in words. History (aside knowing the United States had a very bloody past) has given me an opinion about and idea of where I live and what it means to be here. The end goal regardless whatever the course was a grade; hopefully a passing grade.

Though I am not a success story, I still have much to learn but there is what I know for sure. Of all the things I’ve learned, none of that matters to what I do. No one really wants me to write essays or do a lot of calculations. Getting out of school, it seems most work places just require you to follow instructions and maximize productivity within the position you are hired. “Able to follow instructions, verbally and visually” is the primary concern for employers. You start lower than what you know. Kind of depressing when every expectation of you is surmised into a sentence as seen from an employer.

Don’t be discouraged, we all started somewhere. We never become what we want, it’s the matter of determination and commitment to where we want to end up. It’s not just taking the education of where you want to go but what you do as a career. You will realize you will start on the very bottom where your career will seem irrelevant and you will have to build your way up. Sure you can be an academic, but most of the work comes from actual experience of both in and our of the career. The end goal in never really the what you wanted but how you have experienced everything.

Isn’t the trip only as good as the journey?

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Back To School, Here’s Some (not so bad) Advice

Probably around that time again when teens are going back to school. For some, it will be going through the motions. Some will be getting out of it while some are going to go into it with a fresh pair of eyes. But this week I want to focus on high school because I remember how crazy high school can be for me. Okay, it was fairly tame but I’ve seen people go through some heavy stuff.

If you are entering this year as a niner or a freshman, welcome to your teen years and congrats for making it this far. There is no trophy for making it to high school. As the 13 or 14 year old, you will likely be spending the next 4 years in a place I equate to a very liberal prison. From my years, here’s a few things I picked up. You might arrive at this place with some friends; in honesty, they won’t be your friends for long. Well, you may get lucky with the one friend that would stick it through with you for the entire time. However I’ve seen people’s social structures change through 4 years. So consider all your childhood friends to be a nice little stepping stone to reach out to the entire school. It’s good to meet new people and try new things because at this point in time, you cannot be faulted to finding a bit of your adulthood within those walls. Sure you may have a plan going in, but coming out you may need a back up plan. In my case I had a back up, back up, back up plan. Shortly and surely that little taste of adult life will shock you to consequences. As scary as it sounds; for me, it keeps me grounded. Understand the limits, ask and scrutinize everything. If you have a choice on the subjects you can learn, I don’t think I could recommend anything you can personally do yourself. You know what you want in the here and now. I never figured out what I want through high school. As a 20-something, winging it sometimes doesn’t yield the best results. However the subjects I took helps me keep my eyes open and head held high. I guess I have my history teachers to thank.

To those would-be sophmores, you are well versed and well adjusted in school. As well adjusted you can be, I guess. No less, there are a few things you should be aware of too. Mostly puberty; laugh and giggle, hormones are no joke. This is the one thing I hated going through and I’m a dude! Sometimes I would just be borderline angry and sometimes I just wanted to curl up into a ball and leave the world to its devices. All I can say the chemicals are a perfect storm for learning the extent of your personality. Are you a risk taker? Romantic? Creative thinker? Lots of things will grow out physically and personally, hold on tight and ride the waves. Growing up is complicated but it doesn’t mean you are growing into adulthood. You are more growing to learn to be yourself, keeping what you have and leaving some of it behind. I use to be blank canvas and even now, that canvas is constantly changing. I never liked reading in school, I now read a bit at a time. I might even read a graphic novel. Give it time to let it all sink in; be out there and explore the frontiers of what it is to be yourself. Remember: why should you run in the rain when you know when arrive, you will still be wet?

Juniors, you guys are almost at the end. Like one more year, nearly there. Time for your exit strategy, what are your plans for the next couple years. As you refine your academia, remember to pack your portfolios with something. In some places, 16 years old is the minimum working age. It’s a good time to explore those back up options. Those these options may never come back to you, you could get into them and it will just look good on a resume. Just go out there and gain the experience you want, learn how to work and manage yourself. When I was 16, I explored a back up option for post-high. Apparently out of all the options I could have, it is the one I am still into because I like the environment. Rather to disclose you what I do now; let’s say just go out there and find your backup options, you will be surprised what sort of jobs you can pick up and just love.

As for the seniors, I haven’t forgotten you. Whether you want to take an additional year in high school or leaving after 4 years, the upcoming years will set the stage for adventure. As much as you want to explore and learn from it, keep in mind to create a balance of curiosity and livelihood. You may be entering university or college, perhaps into a workplace full-time; regardless where the next 4-10 years will send you, remember to make friends and have a little fun. Life is about enjoying the fragmented moments. The joy and anguish, the angst and exhilaration that your life will take you. Be yourself. Make friends. Life is best spent with those you care about and the ones your love. Do not dwell on the actions you could have taken for all your mistakes will be forgiven in time. Trust me, there were a few people I wish I could have been honest. The “only if” statements I have given to myself the past half decade could fill another post. The big ones involved a few girls I still like and a few changes I wish I could’ve have embrace. I am who I am because I created myself, therefore I could still change if I’m willing. The you here and now is not your final form, still a long ways to figure it out but this is the transformation to being an adult version of you.

Until next time; be the best you, you can be this year.

Randumb Thoughts

It’s starting to be both a gift and curse with so much time on my hands, spending a lot of time doing nothing more than apply to jobs and day dreaming. Over the past week I’ve been letting my head in the clouds as usual. Perhaps some ideas are worth sharing and some are worth burying in a deep hole like a box of old porno mags. Either case, I thought I can put them here and let you figure it out.

After over a decade of “smart” phones, my cell phone still unlocks from the softest touch. With a touch screen, I stick in my pocket when I head out and whenever I whip it out, most of the time I have to deal with a mess or everything comes together and my phone somehow opened up to my browser. Phone locking hasn’t really changed, you have to put in a number or have to swipe and then you can do whatever you want. After looking through my phone’s history of the apps and websites, I’m certain my phone is a depressed drunk. It listens to the saddest music on my phone and tries to look up the longest website names. Either I have to get my phone laid or take it to AA, maybe hook it up to a busty Blackberry or something.

The 20 year olds might remember the the blackout in the summer of 2003. Power went out and people were flipping out. If you lived on the east coast and in a big city, everything just stopped and people just went crazy. People were piling into buses and city surfaces were crowded. Where I was living, I’m surprised no one just went for the idea of just smashing and looting stuff. I live in a centre of Canadian commerce where you can literally walk into any store and snatch a big screen TV. Imagine living without internet for a week? It would be horrible, but what if it was the power that went out? There will be Internet, but you won’t be able to get to it. I would wager after a few months, a lot of people would go nuts. Considering on all the jobs that require a computer now, imagine the backlog in the form of physical paperwork if the power went out. Upside, winter work hours would be shorter unless your business can afford candles.

Recently I walked passed my old high school, I wasn’t creeping; I was going to the mall to kill time. So this must have been new or something but my high school has security cameras mounted everywhere. Not only that, the cameras had this wire cage around them. This is starting to be clearer as an adult, school is a prison. At first you go like there is something wrong with you and then you’re stuck there for your 15 year sentence. All that time, you probably won’t be fed and you get your ass kicked in by other inmates students until you crawl back into your cell and cry. Then when you get out, the world is a difference place and you have more hair than you use to have. When has it come to the point where we’re treating kids like prisoners? You have to have a constant eye on them and and made sure they stayed in once place. There’s definitely something wrong when we treat kids like criminals. Parents if you wanted to lock up you kids, put them in the basement for 15 years, at least they will have their computer and XBox for the duration rather than learning about stuff which mostly will never be used in a social situation. So far I haven’t wooed a girl with my historical wit or my basic understanding of psychology.

With a current living condition like mine, I have been thinking which would be better; living like this or live in prison? Consider side one, my life right now. I have to pay for food, no much recreation and I have to look for a job. Prison on the other, sounds like a resort destination. No need to worry about finding a job, you get the exercise and food you need free of charge, there are activities you can do until you are set to leave. Like who wouldn’t want to just sleep, eat and be entertained all day? I’m surprised not a lot of people committed a crime just to take a sabbatical or just a lifelong vacation. If they didn’t tell you it was prison or jail, it seems like a nice place to go. You don’t work, you just stay there for a predetermined time while they feed you and have plenty of time to yourself.

I’m not much of a believer of religion. For one thing, I would need more than divine intervention to fix my problems. I do believe in “that’s what you get”. Where you do a bad thing and you get bad things bad for you. It would be the most ironic ways it would boomerang back to you. It works in international politics and it works in personal life. Take a look at the War in Iraq, when the US declared war two things happened. Everyone told them it was a bad idea, they did it anyways. Now they have to suffer through Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. I don’t know what I did for a streak of bad luck so I’m hoping all this bad luck becomes good things later on. After 20+ years, I expect I inherit Microsoft or something. At least let me find a big box of porn in the woods.

That’s all I got for now; I’m going to eat a cold burger.