Nhan Nguyen |
The quality of my columns was uneven at best, but the high points were high and the lows were low. But through it all, the e-mail never stopped coming in. Thanks to all who wrote in and/or stopped me on campus to tell me what they thought of my latest column.
As a senior, I'm trying to grasp the gravity of what hundreds of other seniors are experiencing right now.
Imagine it: When you wake up one morning, there will be no class to hustle to or unfinished homework to sloppily scribble down.
For the rest of your life, there will be a job to wake up to instead. Will that job somehow make use of those cultural heritage classes you took? Or how about those knowledge integration courses?
Wait a second. Was this whole struggle for naught? Was there any real point to killing yourself over passing marks these last few years, aside from getting a piece of paper with your name on it, parents who "forced" you into it and staying in college just to avoid the situation you're now about to face?
Some of us would like to think so, but our years here did matter.
OK, so that government job you applied for may not make extensive use of your art history-acquired knowledge of early Christian architecture. Knowing the intricacies of sociolinguistics won't help you when you're pushing pencils in a cubicle. And, if you haven't landed a good-paying job and are settling for a job that pays peanuts right now, knowing the workings of American government means squat when you're asking a customer what he wants with his fries.
Well, it was all worth it. Perhaps in the future, when you've got more time and money, you'll return to take a course or two just to keep the cobwebs from collecting in your head.
Upon returning to campus, you will probably feel like a visitor with a "Hello! My name is (your name here)" sticker on your chest. And you'll actually be glad to take classes again.
That's because all this material you've learned is not only filler for your résumé, but for your head.
If you've had a class you've taken and enjoyed, then you know what I mean. We've learned because we wanted to, not because we had to.
To the graduating class of 1997: May your every dream be realized. Doubt is the only obstacle to those who try, so look ahead. The future is what you make it.
Take care, and have a great life.
This is Nhan Nguyen, senior RTV major, signing off.