Small school in NY, Military, Georgia, Hawaii, New York

/ Hilltop near 280/

My time in high school

Attended high school in the
2000s

Overall high school experience
8/10

Grades in high school
Mostly A's

 

Favorite subjects
Foreign Language, Math, Physical Education

Struggled with...
History. Thought it was boring.

Favorite extracurricular
Sports / Recreation

Life since high school

“Success used to be much more achievement based. I would be “successful” when I checked certain boxes, but realized that’s so empty.”

Attended college / university at
Small school in Upstate New York.

Majored in
Computer Science

Places lived in US
Georgia, Hawaii, New York

Current occupations / past occupations
Military

Industries I've worked in
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (e.g. Law, Accounting, Interior Design, Graphic Design, R&D, PR, Advertising, etc.)
- Public Administration (e.g. Government, Police, Judicial, etc.)

Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Yes and no. School teaches you how to learn and how to work with other people, things I do every day. But almost nothing I studied in school directly applies to any aspect of my job.

Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
No

A little introspection...

To me, being successful means...
fulfilling my purpose in life

My definition of success has changed over time. 
Success used to be much more achievement based. I would be "successful" when I checked certain boxes, but realized that's so empty.

My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Graduating. You can't let setbacks stop you. Very few hardships can't be overcome with tenacity and work ethic.

My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
I was afraid to act on my feelings because I exaggerated the consequences of failure in my head. Be real about the "worst case" scenario, and be willing to make mistakes. It's never as bad as you think it will be, and unless somebody dies or you go to prison, the risk us almost always worth it.

An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
My family moved, and I lost a significant part of my support system at our new home. I had to learn to fight to maintain the relationships I valued.

My favorite spot in or around Palo Alto

Hilltop next to 280. Take the bike path from Gunn past Stanford Hospital and VMware, bang a right just before the underpass. Take the trail up about half a mile, then hop the fence to the right for a sweet view of the valley.