Climb with Purpose
I've been contemplating lately the specific reasons for why I decided to go back and seek a second degree in geographic information sciences. After considering many aspects I have come to the correct conclusion that it was really for self satisfaction.
Over the past several years since graduating with my first degree on December 12th, 2012 from the University of Southern Indiana, I have pursued Colorado. I knew I really wanted to spend my time in Colorado from the minute that I graduated. One of my first attempted paths was to apply for every national park, and other governmental job available. Over the course of several months I applied for 42 national park and government jobs throughout the western United States, many of them in Colorado. After having little to no luck I ended up going back to Colorado to work a seasonal position with Xanterra Parks & Resorts in 2013. That season, on September 12th, 2013 there was a great flood caused by a once a 1,000 year rain event. I ended up leaving Colorado and touring much of the western United States on my way back to Indiana.
After spending a winter and spring in Indiana I received a call from my former general manager at the company. This led to me becoming the employee dining hall manager for the 2014 season. After finishing up this position I decided to apply to ski resorts in the Colorado area, but after figuring in the costs of living it made no sense. So, I ended up driving down the road to the YMCA of the Rockies and working there seasonally for eight straight months. In the winter I had a lot of extra time to think and I just came up with the fact that I was not satisfied doing these types of seasonal jobs anymore. So the reality of it was, I wanted something purposeful as a career/life path. So I applied to the six best public universities in Colorado and was accepted to all of them, including the University of Colorado at Boulder. I am now studying Geography and GIS with the hopes of pursuing something such as hazard mitigation, planning, environmental mapping, or international development after I graduate in a few years.
Notice that I didn't mention anything about money? The primary reason for my decision to go back to college again was to better myself and to help make the world a little bit better place. Money is money, yeah everyone needs it, but what you do in life matters more than money. As a friend of mine said back at the University of Southern Indiana, "The money will come and go, but your happiness doesn't have to go along with it". I really like that little saying, and I do realize that there were likely many other folks that said this or something similar before my friend did, but it's true.
A secondary reason for me picking the University of Colorado at Boulder, was that I really feel like I can succeed. Part of this whole thing, as it has been for several years now, is proving to myself that I can and will succeed greatly at a large scale university. There are so many opportunities here! So many possibilities, and great things to fill my time. Years ago, about ten years ago I started down a similar path in a great program at a university with endless opportunities but I wasn't ready, and it wasn't at all the right path, and that's totally okay. I went back and finished my first bachelors from a different university and am very proud that I completed it, but it hasn't quite gotten me where I want to go. It built a firm foundation of knowledge and skills that will aid me for the rest of my life, but I can do even better. At Purdue University I failed later to succeed at the University of Southern Indiana, and now I will succeed at my most difficult obstacle yet the University of Colorado Boulder. I'm older now, more willing to fight the main stream and jump in to all of the unique opportunities from internships, to tough courses, to outdoor sports, to volunteer opportunities, to unique and accepting religious groups. Part of this is about overcoming failure, but that is a definite second to building purpose.
The reality of it was that I had to experience failure, and overcome it with perseverance and "faith" to end up where I am now at one of the great universities in the world. I had to fail at engineering and at Purdue in order to wander down another set of paths towards enlightening myself in every other area of life imaginable. I am so glad that I failed! This is because failure launched me on a long period of self exploration and allowed me to take risks that I had never desired to take before. Sure there were more failures along the way, and somehow just after I had left Purdue University for a second time and following my grandfathers death I ended up in Colorado in 2010. My grandpa would be happy that I've ended up in Colorado and that I have the opportunities ahead of me that I do now. He loved the American west and so do I! In 2010 and forever onward I've looked back on some of the stories that my mom shared with me about my grandfather. I can't help think what a great amazing life he had, and all that he experienced in 98 years of it! He is one my many great inspirations.
So, anyway after failing I ended up in Colorado and finished my first college degree and all the things after that. I still failed occasionally, I failed at pursuing that national park job, but hey I gave it my best and found another way to be out here in Colorado. Sometimes it takes reality to sink in to drive a person to begin dreaming again, and then to bring back those ideas and dreams back to reality. Reality and purpose go hand in hand. Failure drives success, and dreams drive new realities. Climb up the ladder step by step and grab onto those dreams, or another view: draw out those dreams from within..
I am finding purpose in the reality of what I am currently pursuing. (y)
Charles N. Whittemore, a.k.a. "Nick"
September 13th, 2015
