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• 2 min read

My grand plans for the future

It’s been quite some time since I’ve started thinking about what I want to do with my life, and I believe I’ve come to some form of consensus on this matter, which I’d like to share. While I don’t expect everything to go exactly this way, I hope to refer back to this as time goes on, to reflect on how I’m doing.

Near future

  1. I’d like to get into the co-op program and do a rotation with a biotech company. I know that this will delay my graduation, but I’m on track to graduate in 2-2.5 years at the moment, so tacking on extra semester won’t hurt.

  2. I want to explore bioinformatics in greater depth on my own. I’ve always been interested in using Python and trying to analyze publicly-available data. Might be a cool thing to work on during the summer, right?

Upon Graduation

  1. Find a good, full-time job in Canada and work for a few years. In the future, I do want to move back to the U.S. for better job opportunities, competitive pay, and the chance to make meaningful contributions to the field.

  2. I’d like to do an online masters in CS while working. Not much to it. I’ve been looking into relevant programs at UIUC, Penn, Georgia Tech, etc, and I believe this could be a real thing I could do in the future.

  3. Potentially pursue further postgraduate education in biology or a related field, like a M.Sc. or PhD in a life sciences field, or med school.

Long-term life goals

I really want to travel and explore the world, especially during my 20s. This is something I’ve always fantasized about doing since I was a teenager, and I truly do mean it. That’s why I brought up the MCS program above, as well.

There’s this really good line I vividly remember from a Prince Ea video (you know, that guy who made the whole “I sued the school system” video) is that when people were asked what they regretted in their life while they were on their deathbed, they didn’t list things that they did, but rather the things they didn’t do.

Growing up with a workaholic parent, while I’m grateful for the comfortable life I’ve lived, I really hope I don’t turn out that way, and that I get to make meaningful memories and be proud of the way I’ve spent my life.