all right next up I got a very nice audio message and question from a gentleman who is 27 and feeling a lot of anxiety about the future just recently he graduated with a bachelor's degree and he's thinking about going to grad school for biomedical engineering but there is a lot of anxiety he mentioned anxiety many times in the message it took him an extra while to get his degree so he mentioned he would be 32 by the time he's done with his p D so it's a big investment but he said in his heart he
feels like he's a scientist I think that's the most important part of his message of your message by the way I'll figure out how to best include audio and video messages in future episodes now on to the question so thank you for telling me your story and for submitting the question my own life story is similar to yours I went to Drex University for my bachelor's Master's and Doctorate Degrees and I took a while just as you're doing I did a lot of non-standard things that uh weren't any good for some hypothetical career I'm supposed
to have I trained and competed in Judo and Jiu-Jitsu for my entire 20s got a uh black belt from it I wrote a lot including a lot of really crappy poetry I read a large amount of non-technical books history philosophy and literature I took courses on literature and philosophy that weren't at all required for my computer science and electrical engineering degrees like a course on uh James Joyce I played guitar in bars around town I took a lot of technical classes many for example on theoretical computer science that uh were way more than were needed
for the degree I did a lot of research and I coded up a bunch of projects that didn't directly contribute to my dissertation it was pure curiosity and the joy of exploring so like you I took uh the long way home as they say and I regret none of it throughout that people around me and even people who love me wanted uh me to hurry up and to focus especially because I had very little money and so I had a sense like time was running out for me to uh take the needed steps towards a
reasonable career and just like you I was filled with anxiety and I still am filled with anxiety to this day but I I think the right thing to do is not to run away from the anxiety but to lean into it and uh Channel it into pursuing with everything you got the things you're passionate about as you said very importantly in your heart you know you're a scientist so that's it you know exactly what to do pursue the desire to be a scientist with everything you got get to a good grad school find a good
adviser and uh do epic with them them and it may turn out in the end that your life will have unexpected chapters but as long as you're chasing dreams and goals with absolute unwavering dedication good stuff will come of it and also try your best to be a good person this might be a good place to read The Words If by Roger Kipling that I often return to when I feel lost and I'm looking for guidance on how to be a better man if you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs
and blaming it on you if you can trust yourself when all men doubt you but make allowance for their doubting too if you can wait and not be tired by waiting or being lied about don't deal in lies or being hated don't give way to hating and yet don't look too good nor talk too wise if you can dream and not make dreams your master if you can think and not make thoughts your aim if you can meet with Triumph and disaster and treat those Impostors just the same if you can bear to hear the
truth you've spoken Twisted by naves to make a trap for fools or watch the things you gave your life to broken and stoop and build them up with worn out tools if you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch and toss and lose and start again at your beginnings and never breathe a word about your loss if you can force your heart and nerve and Sen you to serve your turn long after they're gone and so hold on when there's nothing in you except the will which
says to them hold on if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue or walk with Kings nor lose the common touch if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you if all men count with you but none too much if you can fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds worth of distance run yours is the Earth and everything that's in it and which is more you'll be a man my son thank you for listening and see you next time
