The Future - Why I Picked My Major
One does not know what the future will hold. One may never find out what will happen to them until that moment comes. One will never know when they will find their one true love, when they will start a family, or when they will get that dream job. All of these things are unknown to the observer, but this does not stop one from creating a plan. A mere outline of what someone wants to do with their life is not a bad idea to think about, especially when such a thing can give them hope for better days to come.
This is what I hope for. I hope to make a difference in the world. Yes, unfortunately, I am another young adult wanting to change the world for the better. I want to make the world a better place for its inhabitants, both young and old, big or small. I want to leave a mark and a legacy on this planet, and I hope to pass on with the feeling that I did all that I could and that I tried my hardest to do just that. “I do not want to leave with regret but with assurance that I lived a flourishing and virtuous life,” as Aristotle would say.
Ever since elementary school, Mathematics has been a subject that I had a knack for. It was what I was good at, and it was something that I enjoyed doing. The feeling I felt then is still the same feeling I get now, after so many years of practicing the subject. However, it was not just the subject that has gotten me to where I am today. My instructors were also a big part of why math is, and has always been, so important to me. My middle and high school math teachers were the most passionate people I had ever met.
They were so enthusiastic about this subject that it made me happy to learn, and they ultimately changed my life.
Now being an engineering student in college, math has definitely transcended what I originally thought it was. It is surprising me each and every day, and it is a lot to handle. I went from just learning addition and subtraction in elementary school to learning quadric surfaces and vectors in college in one day. It is crazy to see how far I have come. Math is a cumulative subject, which means that concepts just keep building on each other over and over again, and it is fascinating to see how everything is connecting in one way or another. It has also gotten me optimistic for the future and what math has in store for me. Math never seems to end, especially when you are planning to be an engineer minoring in math, but I would not want to have it any other way. So you are probably wondering, “What does she want to do then?”
You know that I want to change the world and have the subject of mathematics under my belt as I pursue my career, but what do you think I want to do with those things? If you guessed that I wanted to be an engineer, then you are right.
I want to be a civil engineer, to be exact, but the reason why I want to pursue this career in the engineering field is because I can be a part of building something that lasts. According to Google, a civil engineer is an engineer who “designs and maintains roads, bridges, dams, and similar structures.” Through this profession, I can make a physical mark on this planet. I have the chance to be a part of a team that keeps people safe and maintains a structure, making sure that it is safe and sound. It sounds like a dream, and I am looking forward to it becoming a reality.
With a career in civil engineering, I also want to do more than what is expected of me. I do want to stay in the United States to work, but I am also looking into traveling with Engineers Without Borders. It is not enough for this country to become the best in the world. It is also important to lift other countries up from a place in which they cannot help themselves. The same idea can be used to help the people of other countries, and I would gain so much gratitude and experience from traveling and doing this. I have always been a person that loved volunteering and helping out the community. I volunteered at a hospital throughout high school, and I was just so happy knowing that I was there to help and
possibly make someone smile if they were not having the best of days. I would love to experience that same kind of feeling when pursuing my career, and Engineers Without Borders will help with that. I could make an even bigger difference in the world than I originally planned. I could make someone’s life better rather than just someone’s day.
Civil engineering is what I want to do. It is a job that will help me change the world and the people in it. I will be able to use my love of mathematics every day, and I could use my knowledge to assist other countries as well. Civil engineering is a profession that will take a lot of hard work, but it will definitely be worth it. I, like many others, do not know what the future will hold, but this is what I plan to do with my life, and I will do whatever I can to make that happen.
Megan Taylor Agbayani
Orientation Leader
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Major: Civil Engineering
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