Banking

People often ask me why I want to work in banking. My usual answer is something along the lines of this: "Well, I think the financial industry is interesting, and I think I would do well in it." While that is true, it is not the complete answer, nor even the main reason. If I were to answer fully I would say something along the lines of: "Well, most jobs within a bank is 9-5, so no late nights, no weekends, and there usually isn't work to be taken home since most of the information I would be working with is confidential customer information, and thus cannot leave the bank. Further, banks pay well, provide good benefits, and above average vacation days." I think it is clear why I can't give this answer, esspecially to my boss, or in interviews. It sounds awfully lazy, which makes sense since I am a fairly lazy kind of guy, which everyone who knows me already knows. Basically I am not a Type A personality

The Dilbert cartoon at the start of this blog reminded me of myself (except for the bowling part). It reminded me of all of the career advice that I have gotten in highschool and college and TV. "Do what you love", but the problem comes when what you love doesn't actually bring you any money, such as "not working". Many of you may have heard of my plans to retire at the age of 30. This of course will be difficult given that my 401k plan won't give me any money until I'm 65, and Social Security won't kick in until around then either. I know it sounds bad that I want to retire at the tender age of 30, but I don't think it is quite as bad as it sounds. Basically, I don't want to spend my life working for some corporation, large or small, or anybodies else's business. The obvious answer would be to start my own business, but there is a problem with that....it requires a lot of work, which, if you read the previous paragraph, just doesn't work for me. So what's my plan? Well, I haven't quite gotten it all worked out yet, but it will probably involve the State Lotto and me getting lucky.

I will use a quote from Steve Jobs to attempt to describe what I want to do with my life, "I want to put a ding in the universe."

Though Ofttimes Better Than Master of One

So I'm officially granduated now.

I realized as I was sitting in the field of the football stadium for three hours that it doesn't really mean anything to me. It's great that I am out of school and don't have to take tests and do homework anymore, and that I can say I have a BA when I apply for jobs, but other than that, it really doesn't mean anything to me. I say people while sitting there who were excited, parents and students crying, or near tears, and this emotion just doesn't make sense to me. I think part of the reason is that I always assumed that I was going to college. When I was younger it seemed odd to me that someone wouldn't go to college. Of course now that I am older I realize that not everyone goes, but the mind set of me going to college stuck. So I guess what I am saying is that I always knew that I was going to go to college, and thus the fact that I graduated is no big deal, it's something that I always knew would happen.

For those of you who may not know, I am what is often referred to as a "Jack of all trades" which of course means that I am a "master of none". One need only take a quick look at my book shelf to see this. I have books on Economics(of course) history, philosophy, physics, religion, current politics, ancient languages (Greek and Latin), building computers, and computer programming, to name a few. I have never been ashamed of the distinction of being a Jack of all trades, but that follow up "master of none" has always bothered me, mainly because I knew that I would probably never be a "master" of any trade. However, I found of Wikipedia an interesting addition to this old phrase, apparently part of the original "though ofttimes better than master of one". Now you could say that since it is Wikipedia, it probably isn't really authoritative, indeed, for all you know I could have added that in there to make myself look better. It doesn't really matter though, because this unsubstantiated addition to that bothersome cliche has made me feel better.

On a less joyful front, I may have broken my lap-top. I installed Ubuntu (a free Linux based operating system) on it, thus removing Windows XP. I did this because I wanted to try out a Linux OS, and since I don't use my Laptop that often, I figured it didn't matter, also I have the recovery discs for my laptop so I could always just reinstall Windows if I wanted to....well I did want to (not because Ubuntu was bad...I didn't really have much time to play with it, I just need Windows to run a couple programs I forgot about), but apparently Windows didn't like the fact that I had installed a Linux OS on my machine, and thus decided not to work. So, my laptop is currently Ubuntu, and will likely to continue to do so for a while. The one upside is that if I end up liking it, I can feel superior to all you fools who are reliant upon either Microsoft or Apple, and who actually have to pay for the operating system....let's pray it works out that way.

I will leave all you wonderful people (if in fact any wonderful people read my blog) with a quote that seems fitting as I seat sail on this adventure called "life". "When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people of society at large. When you aske permission, you give someone veto power over your life."
Geoffrey F. Abert

It's Time to Let Trevor Be Trevor

In seven short days I will be an official graduate of Eastern Washington University, with a BA in Economics, graduating with with either Cum Laude, or Magna Cum Laude. I'm ready to set off into the real world, at least that's what my diploma says. I remeber feeling somewhat the same way when I graduated from high school. After high school I would be entering the "real world", or at least as "real" as college gets. But now I guess this is really it. This time it certainly feels more real, and probably is. No more going to classes, taking tests, doing homework, etc. Also, I guess it feels more real because I won't have any place to go back to, at least after this summer. I am really on my own, at least when my parents sell the house. Even though I have been living in this apartment for the past 9 months, I still considered that place home. But I guess not any more. This apartment is my home now....I guess that means that I should get my lisence changed to reflect that.

I was flipping through a magazine the other day and I realized that I don't look right. I don't have a six-pack, a chiseled chest and arms, and I actually have hair on my chest and stomach. Now I realize I'm not really fat, although certainly I am fatter than I should be, but I don't eat 35,000 calories a day. I can sit comfortably in movie theatre seating, fit through most doors, and get out of a chair easily. I also don't have to shop at a special Big and Tall store. But, according to this magazine at least, every part of my body should be chisled muscle. So, obviously something's wrong with me. Then I was watching the Simpsons, and in this episode, Homer was being forced by someone to eat right, exercise, and all of that bad stuff, then at one point he was able to escape these rules and he said, "It's time to let Homer be Homer". He was very unhappy doing those things that would allow him to be chisled, and it was only when he let "Homer be Homer" that he was happy, which meant eating unhealthy things and watching TV all day. And it got be thinking that maybe what is best is not to eat and do everything with getting that chisled look in mind, but simply to be happy, even if that means you're overweight and squishy in the middle. I am also struck by the amount of people, who I would not even consider overweight, who are unhappy with their size, their weight, or someother feature about their body. It is simply amazing how many people think that by simply losing those 5 or 10 pounds, or getting that botox, or think that just doing a few more sit-ups, or bench presses, or hoping into the new diet, will actually make them happy with their appearance. Perhaps we need to learn to be happy with the way we look right now, and only from there should even attempt to move forward. Or perhaps, even better, society accept people, and find everyone's own unique beauty, as a great man once said, simply said, wouldn't the world be a better place if peopled were judged, not by their pants size, but by the content of their character?

Well, I have to run, I just ate an apple, and I have to throw-it back up before my body can absorb any of those damn calories, but before I o, I will leave you with a quote, "What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease. - George Dennison Prentice"