My Future

The Future

The future...is just a reflection of the past. Or is it? I'm no sage so I wouldn't know. The future...is just a reflection of the past.
Well, what do I want to be? What college do I want to go to? What kind of college do I want to attend? What graduate school? What am I interested in? What would I like to major in? Who am I? Who do I want to be?
I am a rising 11th grader at York HighSchool in Virginia.
I don't know.

At 15, with only two more years to decide, I still don't know. I love computers and I love the internet. I love programming. I love writing, I love rhyming. But...I don't know.

I guess I could say I want to be a computer programmer. I've only taken one semester of C++ but I know I want to be programming for at least the rest of my life. I don't know what area I'd prefer, and am about to experience my first contact with Real science. My mentorship program at Nasa is a year long experimental 'relationship' between myself and my mentor. During this 'relationship' I gain experience in the field of my mentor, and learn what its like to have a real job in that field (only I don't get paid).

My mentor is (read: will be) Joel S. Levine of Nasa. My work will include that of a graduate student researching in atmospheric chemistry. Raw data is given from the field, and I must learn what to do with it. Well, wish me luck. The only real science I know is classroom science, several steps below this.

The atmosphere as a career? The experience with Joel Levine should answer at least one question: do I want to use my skills to become an atmospheric chemist? Well, why not...but why? Hopefully I will also learn a lot about other areas of Nasa.

Nasa as a career? Why not... when truly think about it I believe Nasa is a very possible future career. I am almost positive I will be working there next Summer, and perhaps I will continue to work at Nasa through my college years. It is definately something to think about.