Dear life, dear fate, dear all that is good in the world: please give me a chance. I screwed up so badly in the past; if heaven were merciful, it would give me a chance to make everything right again.
After an interesting weekend and some introspection earlier today, I made some pretty drastic changes to my Life Goals list. What originally consisted of 10 focus areas was cut down to 5 areas; in addition, I cut away a lot of long-term goals and commitments that I frankly was probably never going to accomplish. Or would have been absolutely miserable trying to accomplish them. It’s one thing to have a challenge, but it’s another thing to feel forced to do things that are not absolutely necessary. Why put yourself through a more miserable life than you have to, right?
On a slightly more upbeat note, I think I might be on track to receive a full-time offer from the firm I interviewed with in Dallas. That’s great to hear, of course; any full-time offer is better than none. Although arguably, I might still consider taking a summer internship in equity research and then starting FT in the fall instead. I really want to experience equity research, and I think I have some opportunities that might play out for the summer. We’ll then see where things go from there. Life is always so uncertain, and if I’ve learned anything in the past four years at this institution, it’s the fact that we should never settle on a single path in life. Situations are volatile, people change drastically, and what interests you today may be the thing you hate tomorrow.
If there’s anything else I’ve learned, it’s the fact that you should never take for granted the things that you have; things and people you overlook today may be the ones you’re fighting with every fiber of your being to get back tomorrow. Unfortunately, sometimes that realization comes a little too late, and no amount of begging, praying, or hoping can bring them back. We’ll see (rather soon, I hope) whether or not my present situation falls into that unfortunate category or not.