What now?
Today I received my bachelor’s degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. After 18 consecutive years of formal education (pre-K thru undergrad) I end my academic career.
“So, what now?” I ask myself. #
Luckily, I don’t need to worry about getting a full time job. It’s been three years since I joined Packback, an EdTech startup, that “exists to awaken the fearless, relentless curiosity inside every student.” I’m working there full-time now, where my “job description” can change every few months - something I enjoy.
It’s rare for me to have something I’m passionate about for more than 3 months. I’ve jumped between projects often, either because I lost interest in the previous project or had accomplished what I wanted to accomplish. Sometimes I feel this results in me never accomplishing anything substantial.
I do have some projects I’ve been working on-and-off for a few years, which I’ve discussed in previous posts; and of course I’ve got the many different things I do at Packback. From all of that, have I found what I’m truly passionate about? I’m not confident to say so yet.
Which brings me back to the title of this post, “what now?” Now that I can cross off school from my “project” list, people have been asking what I plan to do with all my extra free time.
To be honest, I don’t have an answer yet. #
Instead, I have some goals for the next 12 months:
- Advance to Level 1 Senior Engineer at Packback
- Organize my professional and personal networks, then catch up with at least 4 people a month
- Host or speak at 3 or more meetups
- Automate 3 projects I made while at IIT to be self-sustaining
- Go on a trip more than 500 miles from Chicago
Whatever I do with my time, I want to enlighten myself and those around me through lifelong learning. #
To everyone that’s supported me thus far, I thank you. To everyone that’s criticized me or challenged my opinions, I thank you even more. Congratulations to all the other Class of 2017 graduates. Let’s make a dent in the universe.