What you do is not Who you are
/My time in high school
Attended high school in the
1990s
Overall high school experience
8/10. I was delightfully unaware of world events or even events outside of my high school life. It was a happy time, I did well in my classes despite not trying very hard.
Grades in high school
A's and B's. I didn't really care about my grades, they were important to my parents but I never really got in trouble for not getting straight A's, which I guess is not normal in Asian households. But mostly I flew under the radar and was very average.
Favorite subjects
English, History / Social Studies, Performing Arts
Struggled with...
MATH. Hated it. It was never explained in a way that I could understand. I was in college before I comprehended trig.
Favorite extracurricular
Music
Life since high school
“I never had a “trajectory”. I just worked wherever there was an opportunity. My job is never what defines me. ”
Attended college / university at
Foothill, SJSU, Cal Poly Pomona
Majored in
Liberal studies with an emphasis in Art History
Post-graduate education or training
went back to school in my 30s to get an AA in carpentry.
Places lived in US
California
Current occupations / past occupations
Currently I'm a bookkeeper for a professional choir. Prior to that I was a handyperson/carpenter, a professional gambler, a CSR for an internet start up, an admin for an architectural glass company...the list goes on and on.
Industries I've worked in
- Construction
- Retail Trade
- Administrative and Support Services
- Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
- Nonprofit
Did your education prepare you for your career or occupation?
Not particularly. I learned accounting on the fly and have had lots of on the job training.
Has your education or career/occupation trajectory ever changed? How?
I never had a "trajectory". I just worked wherever there was an opportunity. My job is never what defines me.
A little introspection...
To me, being successful means...
Having a loving family and the means to support whatever endeavors they want to pursue.
My definition of success has not changed over time.
My greatest accomplishment to date and what I’ve learned from it
Finding someone with whom to share my life and having a child. Nothing more challenging or rewarding.
My biggest mistake or regret so far and what I’ve learned from it
Taking 9 years to finish college. It only gets tougher to go back and take that last class.
An unexpected event that significantly changed my life and how it impacted me
My dad told me to grow up. I was 26 and still relying on my parents to pay my car insurance, and anything I needed that I couldn't afford. So I got a better paying job and started paying my own way, 100%. Looking back it was the best kick in the pants ever.
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