Who am I? Part 1
Who am I?
I haven't started writing this yet and I already think it's going to be a multi part series. Who am I? I don't think I even know. Does anyone really know? When I was younger and couldn't fall asleep, I used to lie in bed and constantly ask myself this question trying to peel back the layers of the onion. I didn't realize it then but I think this is a form of meditation to deeply question introspectively. Let's start with a bullet point list:
I'm in immigrant several times over. I was born on one continent, my heritage is from another continent and living and making my way on yet a third. I like to think of myself as a world citizen. A legacy of colonialism for better or worse. I can fit in anywhere but nowhere at all at the same time and in some ways, this contributes to a pervasive sense of wanderlust in everything I do.
I put myself through college and graduated with no loans - in fact, I was very proud of being $10k in the green! This wasn't because I got one full-ride scholarship somewhere but from a series of compromises and just grinding. I applied for a series of different scholarships and worked throughout college (I was a dishwasher multiple times) and together they added up to cover me plus some. I did want to go to an ivy league school but worried about the debt load so compromised by going to a state school. Do I regret it? Absolutely not, I'm very happy with the education that I received at the University that I attended but if I'm being honest, it probably does leave a chip on my shoulder. That can be healthy or unhealthy and in my life, it's been both.
I'm a contrarian. I always root for the underdog whether rationally or irrationally. I did not go into engineering or medicine - not because I disliked either of those but mainly because I thought that is what my parents wanted.
I've always been fascinated by money - it's a strange and complicated relationship. I like to watch my balance grow but I'm not driven by it in the traditional sense - I don't chase promotions, I quit jobs without anything lined up if I'm getting bored or don't believe in the values of the company or people that I'm working with. I hate wasting money and love finding deals. During my earlier years, I thought that when my balances increased, it was due to my own knowledge or skills or smarts; the older I get, I'm coming to terms that a large part of this is more likely due to luck or being in the right place at the right time. I've made some good decisions and a lot of bad decisions but hey, I'm still here and as of today, not too much debt.
Stemming from above, I like finance and economics and enjoyed those classes the most in college. However, I did not think I would land a job with those majors so officially declared as an accounting major. I hate accounting - my younger self would have said no regrets, always push forward but since this blog is intended to be brutally honest...that one is salty.
Well, I guess that will do for Part 1 today. More to come....