This time, the letter actually escaped the caprice of its fate, was opened by me, and received my full attention because more than being a letter after my money, Swarthmore also asks me to impart some words of wisdom to an incoming first-year Swattie who will soon set foot on campus to begin his academic journey.
As I dug through my haphazard memories of college days, hoping to concoct something intelligent and apt to write to this "kid" (seriously, he's class of 2014), I suddenly realized that the things I wanted to write were actually things that I wish I could have done back then, and that wish list is appallingly long. Most of the items are rather trivial, like I wish I had gone to more college parties, had chosen a co-ed dorm as my 4-year abode, had loosened up myself a little bit to play the dating games instead of being so madly committed to a long-distance relationship.... But there is one thing that I think maybe worthwhile to share here, it is my thought around the so-called "reality compass".
Being a product of a liberal arts education, I'm obviously a firm believer of the tremendous value that such education brings. A liberal arts education, in my opinion, offers students a transformative experience due to its academic rigor, emphasis on the intellectual development and commitment to social responsibility. Even though some classes that are required or encouraged to take are non-utilitarian in character and have no immediate useful application (like philosophy, literature, history, art...), they are still worthwhile because they train you to view the world around you with a critical mind, to value diverse perspectives and to engage openly and confidently in dialogues about ideas and issues. But unless you choose the academic route and aim for a research/teaching career later, these are intangible benefits that though certainly transferable to the non-academic workplace, may not help you land your first after-college job in the U.S. Many international students, I'm sure, would be dismayed by the harsh reality of the job market with frequent rejections from potential American employers because unlike our engineering, computer science or economics classmates, we lack the marketable "hard" skills.
So should we let the passion triumph over the practicality or the other way around? Let me share here the perspective of an art history Swarthmore professor, which during the years of my post-graduate existence, I have relied on as a main source of consolation. In her welcoming speech to my undergraduate class, she touched on the idea of success. Success, she said, is like cleanliness, everyone has a different idea. It can mean wealth, fame, accomplishment or mastery. But there is a kind of success that trumps it all, it is success in the sense of fulfillment, a deep internal satisfaction rather than an actual accomplishment. It is feeling good about something you do, whether or not you do a good job of it. You just love doing it intensely, unconditionally. Ideally, of course, we all want to have all the three successes in one package: feeling good about being accomplished and acquiring thereby wealth and fame. But if we can't have all, she said that fulfillment counts the most in the long run because it rewards our life, rather than just providing us with a career and a status.
I have always let the passion dictate what I study, because I strongly believe that unless you're passionate about something, and devote wholeheartedly to it, you cannot achieve great results. Yet, because of this chase, I ended up feeling somewhat lost in my professional life and until now still haven't quite figured out which career ladder I should climb. In most jobs that I have applied for, the first question that I was asked is usually "Why Urban Planning?" So I've established that although there is really is nothing wrong with injecting yourself with a healthy dose of idealism, one really shouldn't let the idealism carry one away. There are many different ways to make your mark in the world, and it doesn't always have to be in the non-business setting. Corporations aren't evil, they are the innovation hubs, the talent incubators, the tax payers, the job creators... the engines of growth of in a capitalist economy
So should we let the passion triumph over the practicality or the other way around? Let me share here the perspective of an art history Swarthmore professor, which during the years of my post-graduate existence, I have relied on as a main source of consolation. In her welcoming speech to my undergraduate class, she touched on the idea of success. Success, she said, is like cleanliness, everyone has a different idea. It can mean wealth, fame, accomplishment or mastery. But there is a kind of success that trumps it all, it is success in the sense of fulfillment, a deep internal satisfaction rather than an actual accomplishment. It is feeling good about something you do, whether or not you do a good job of it. You just love doing it intensely, unconditionally. Ideally, of course, we all want to have all the three successes in one package: feeling good about being accomplished and acquiring thereby wealth and fame. But if we can't have all, she said that fulfillment counts the most in the long run because it rewards our life, rather than just providing us with a career and a status.
I have always let the passion dictate what I study, because I strongly believe that unless you're passionate about something, and devote wholeheartedly to it, you cannot achieve great results. Yet, because of this chase, I ended up feeling somewhat lost in my professional life and until now still haven't quite figured out which career ladder I should climb. In most jobs that I have applied for, the first question that I was asked is usually "Why Urban Planning?" So I've established that although there is really is nothing wrong with injecting yourself with a healthy dose of idealism, one really shouldn't let the idealism carry one away. There are many different ways to make your mark in the world, and it doesn't always have to be in the non-business setting. Corporations aren't evil, they are the innovation hubs, the talent incubators, the tax payers, the job creators... the engines of growth of in a capitalist economy
So my advice to income freshman, do follow your passion, because it is rare in life that you get to immerse 4 years of life in the joy of learning and inquiring, in being expansive, venturesome, inventive, but don't go too wild, hold on to the "reality compass" so that you don't go astray. Think about what your ideal job will be like, who you want to become, what kind of career you would like to develop long-term and whether it will be realistic (given all constraints) to go through the end with your chosen field of study. If you choose the social science or humanities majors, consider the PhD program and the research/academia options. If this is not a viable choice (for any reasons), then definitely add a pragmatic major (like math or economics) because you won't be able to find a job with visa sponsorship without such degree, and if you return to Vietnam, you will struggle even more to find a job that fits you liberal arts background. Many I know have ended up taking on jobs totally unrelated to their fields of study.
Reining the three successes is a tall order, but the passion + reality compass may be a good formula that can get you there sooner!
