Comments:
You know, originally I had not planned to write anything such as what has been presented below; however, I found after reading many other classmates journal entries that several were quite interesting. It was good to see so many persons participating and their success stories in life and family. As for myself, it has been an interesting ride over the years. We graduated high school and then we all started our individual journeys. I forgot the life map and without directions it took me a little longer to get to where I’m at today. Immediately after high school, I spent some time at Roanoke College, got bored, and ended up not going back in the fall. I ran around Roanoke for a couple of years, working odd jobs to support my new motorcycle habit. Got bored again. So I said what the heck, let’s join the Navy. I took the plunge (literally now that I think about it) and signed up for the nuclear power program. My next two years were spent in school followed by four years on a fast attack submarine as a nuclear reactor operator. The submarine was cool for about five minutes and then I realized I still had four years left. Great experience, but the cliché holds true in that I’m glad I did it, but would not want to do that again! When I finally got out, my experience had sparked my obsession to go back to college. So I found a job near Philadelphia at a nuke power plant, got ready to go to school, and said to myself “Darn it’s cold up here and these people talk funny.” So I packed up my bags and headed for Charlotte where Duke Energy had a nice, dirty job waiting for me at a power plant. Down the street from my new job was Belmont Abbey College, so I wandered in and picked a field that sounded cool – Computer Information Systems. The Abbey experience was great and I achieved one of my proudest accomplishments by graduating valedictorian out of a class of 400. No idea that award was coming and probably one of the few times I could not find the words to say something. Anyway, that changed my direction again and I headed into the world of technology. Worked for Duke a couple of more years, and guess what, I got bored again. I took the leap from a secure 401k with benefits and became an independent contractor for developing software. While that was good and all, I still had an obsession for school and knowledge. So I went back and finished my MBA at Winthrop University in SC; another great, enlightening experience. During my pursuit of the MBA, my interest and new passion for the business side of the world, combined with my technological background, moved me through the organization I’m with today very quickly. I’ll probably get bored again soon, but by not following a pre-defined life road map like I mentioned in the beginning, I’ve found that following an unbeaten trail over the last 20 years has really been a great experience for me. The means to an end. I’ve a great wife, great kid, and many great life experiences (accompanied by only a couple misdemeanors, a few scars, and some good stories). I wonder where I’ll be 20 years from now. How about you?
