I like how you say that kids play with almost anything because of their curiosity. That is how I am like, and that is why I enjoyed my undergraduate and graduate experiences. I was exposed to so many different subjects, and my curiosity kept me motivated.

I agree with the quote, “College is increasingly more of a gap period of socialization before young individuals join the real world.” I know some of the classes that I have taken that did not develop my intellectual capacity. It was just a checklist course and the professor knew that. We just showed up to class and did nothing. If all the courses were like that, college will just be a few years of socialization.

Those are some scary statistics that you mentioned. I am not sure about this question, but are PhDs that have a couple of years of industry experience be more competitive? Or is it hard to switch between academia and industry positions?

That article that you posted scares me. I think it is up to the individual. I know for a fact that I am not mature enough for marriage. I have been chasing the best career opportunity the past couple of years. I have traveled all around learning different cultures and broadening my perspective. However, I do want to congratulate you on your wedding! You are very fortunate to grow with someone else all these years!

I really like how you mentioned that we could create our own opportunities. I know many people who are stuck at a job that they do not like. They are just doing it to be paid. They say that it’s hard to leave because they are so specialized. I know what makes a strong candidate is the ability to understand your skills and adapting them accordingly.

I do have to agree with you that we need general education courses. The general education course allowed to me meet people outside of engineering, and helped me develop a new perspective. The biggest challenge was that I did not see that when I was taking those courses. I just tried to take the easiest one. I was lucky that some of the professors that I had made a positive impact on me.