From: aaron@space.ualberta.ca (Aaron Humphrey)
Subject: Back To School?
Reply-To: aaron@space.ualberta.ca
Organization: University Of Alberta, Edmonton Canada
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 15:25:57 GMT

Alfvaen sighs.  "Well, so far my job search has proved fruitless, although the
desultory manner in which I pursue it could have a lot to do with it.

"Recently, an idle suggestion of my wife got me to thinking, very seriously,
about going back to University.  I mean, let's face it, education is a nice
warm womb compared to the cold hard world of searching for employment.  And I
think I've had enough of a break to really know where I want to go.

"I've decided that I really should have gone into Computing Science in the
first place.  It's all my high-school physics teacher's fault that I didn't.
;-}  Since I already have a B.Sc. in Physics, I'll have to get into a Master's
program, most likely, but I'll probably end up spending a lot of that making
up requirements for the B.Sc. in Computing Science, since I don't even have all
that I need for the first year.  I don't know all the details yet, but today
I'll be going in and talking to people in the Department of Computing Science
and the Faculty of Graduate Studies here at the U. of Alberta, or at least
making appointments to talk to them.  Hopefully I'll be able to start taking
some courses in January; otherwise, I'll have to wait until September to get
things started again, or maybe May if I'm lucky and can get some Spring/
Summer courses.

"I feel a lot better to have made the decision.  I wish I'd made it earlier,
but I think I needed the break, to get away for a few months and decide where
my priorities are.  I resisted going into graduate Physics, because my
experience with Physics research in my summer jobs didn't make me enthusiastic
for doing my own, and I couldn't think of anything that interested me enough to
pursue it.  But Computing Science sounds much more interesting to me, and I
hope it wil prove so.  Maybe I'll even go on and get my Ph.D., and become the
next Donald Knuth or Marvin Minsky.  Or maybe just the next Markian Gooley.
(Who?  Never mind.)

"And, hopefully, I'll get a computer account as part of my benefits.  It may
not have news capabilities, but maybe I can at least get Telnet and take
advantage of Nyx or some similar free-access system.  I'll have to see.  We're
just in the process of switching from MTS to Unix at the University, but I
think that the Comp.Sci. people are on the forefront of the change.  I don't
see many other ualbertans on the Net, though...

"I feel much better now.  Now that I have a definite goal in mind, I might
reconcile myself to getting a temp job in a computer store or something.  Or
maybe not--I don't know.  But I now have a firmer grip on my future.

"Hmmm.  I feel like I should make a toast, but I don't know what to make it to.
Oh, I know--'To decisions, however delayed.'"

<gulp, gulp, gulp>  <throw>  <CRASH!>

--
---Alfvaen(Canadian SF Quasi-Activist)
"It's not my fault.  The orchestra has disappeared."
   ---Hector Berlioz
Current Album--Kate Bush:The Dreaming
Current Read--Jack McDevitt:The Hercules Text
Newsgroups: alt.callahans