On my one year in the real world
by Josh Staiger
On year ago today, I began work at IBM.
I cannot express my thoughts and emotions regarding this past year any more perfectly than Paul Graham does on page 230 of Hackers and Painters:
'Many people feel confused and depressed in their early twenties. Life seemed so much more fun in college. Well, of course it was. Don't be fooled by the surface similarities. You've gone from guest to servant. It's possible to have fun in this new world. Among other things, you now get to go behind the doors that say "authorized personnel only." But the change is a shock at first, and all the worse if you're not consciously aware of it.'
-- Paul Graham
How true, how true.
Luckily I think that I'm getting the hang of the "having fun" part, and by that I mean more than just the superficial definition of "having fun."
The game of life is a constant learning experience. It doesn't end with college and it isn't limited to equations we read in text books. Any person who hasn't figured that out is a poor soul, indeed.