potential

I had a phone interview today with a Pittsburgh based, multi-national corporation.  I say with, but really it was with a third party company that does the company’s phone interviews.  Phone interviews are tricky little buggers.  With no facial expressions or hand motions,  you are left only to your voice.  I think the worst part is the silence as the interviewer types notes about your responses.  Dead time on the telephone seems like eternity.

Dan was in my room the other night and we were chatting about the future, relationships, and Uganda.  He asked me if I could see myself working at an engineering firm in Pittsburgh for the rest of my life.  I replied, “No, I have too much potential.”

Dan found this to be an incredibly arrogant statement and laughed at my lack of humility.  Perhaps it is a conceited comment, but I still think it is true.  My skill set isn’t geared for me to sit in a cubicle and hate my life while I pretend to be Dilbert until I retire.

I don’t think I can fully explain what I meant by that comment without sounding like I think I am too good for a steady, well paying job.  Perhaps I just think I have a shot to do other things outside the realm of research or calculations and I’m not content to sit there and pine away for adventure.

Maybe I’m still young and stupid enough to believe that life can be exciting and that there’s more to it than just punching the clock and going home for 50 years.  I don’t know.  Perhaps my dream of a life of adventure will be dashed and I’ll live in the suburbs and commute in my sedan to my cubicle in the sky.

So here I am at Grove City College, looking for a job.  Do I have the courage to do what I want to do and what I think I can do?