It was late 1992 and Canada was still in the midst of an economic recession. I was in Grade 12 and, having fast-tracked to a 4 year high school diploma, it was time for me to decide my future. Like many academic overachievers I did not have any problem in finding things that I liked but rather in choosing one specific field. I remember submitting a number of those career questionnaires where a computer spits out what it thinks is best for you. I also remember being just as clueless after reading the results.
So, with the OUAC (Ontario Universities Application Center) form in front me and no master plan I tried to figure out what I wanted to do. I had completed 8 OACs (Ontario Academic Credit - Gr. 13 courses): 3 maths, 3 sciences, English, and French. "The Chinese 6-pack" was the somewhat derisive high school moniker for taking all the maths and sciences but I think few people realize how many doors are open for you in university. With the exception of the arts or creativity based programs where a portfolio was required (e.g. architecture) I had a hard time finding anything I wasn't able to apply for.
But my aptitude clearly lay towards the maths and sciences although English was my favourite course. Science and Engineering were the obvious choices and I had my eye on something computer related in particular. I also wasn't interested in going out-of-province or very far from Toronto for that matter. So, I applied for a mix of engineering programs at U of T, McMaster, and Queen's.
My Dad came into my room at this point and asked what I was doing. I told him I was deciding on which universities to apply to and that I was applying for Engineering. He thought for a moment and then said "I know somebody in Engineering, he couldn't find a job so he's fixing elevators for a living. I don't want you to be an Engineer. I want you to be a doctor".
And so with that, I tore up the OUAC application, grabbed a fresh one, and tried to figure out what I had to do to get into medicine.
Next: Etiologies and the Second Fork in the Road
2 comments:
Sometimes I wonder what I would have done if I had gone into Computer Science or Computer Engineering.
Yes, we all have our "what if" moments. However, it's one thing if it was your decision and quite another if it was somebody else deciding for you. More on this with the next entry.
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