Rayhan Mohammed, Period 7, 10/29/2021

Rayhan Mohammed, Period 7, 10/28/2021

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

I feel like I have an awkward relationship with time. There is a fear that I harbor, that one day many years or decades in the future I will feel like I have missed out on something, or that I will not have lived a life of value and that I will have wasted my time. While I have often pondered what exactly a meaningful life is, and who gets to decide that, I think I get to find out. I get to find my meaning and make my life worthwhile. One specific way I want to do this is through my career plans: I intend to become a data scientist. I had always previously been very worried about choosing a career as nothing seemed to inspire me. I couldn’t understand how people just knew what they wanted to do with their lives, or just felt like there was a certain pathway they belonged on. This was part of what brought on my fear of wasting my life. However, I have recently come to see the field of data science as something that I enjoy and fulfills me, and taking steps towards getting a career in data science is something I can do as a definitive step to make sure that I live a life that I am proud of. I do appreciate the fact that my search for meaning has led me to a field where the goal is to find meaning and provide insight.

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

The college application process can be stressful, and the field of data science can be a difficult one. Like many other fields, the hardest part is starting. It is very easy to get lost when you first begin, as it is much harder to correct your mistakes when you have no idea what you did wrong. I haven’t really even begun to delve into the technical world of data science, and it is indeed a vast world, but I am going to make sure that it doesn’t intimidate me. When looking at the data and computer science curriculums of the colleges I am applying to, a lot of the materials and classes seem challenging and almost foreign, but I know that I will be prepared to tackle them. I am confident in my ability to fail something at first, but to persist and learn from what I did previously, and that is something that I will need here. I also think that is a credit to this school, since this is the first place in my years of going to school where I have been very bad at something in the start, namely learning Russian, and have had to keep working and bounce back.

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

Like I mentioned before, I do try to get a lot of my motivation and meaning from within. However, I do think my impact on those around me is important. I think that people who help others benefit from it themselves, in a mental and spiritual way, even if the act itself is very selfless. Only benefitting myself is part of what I think would make me feel like I’m wasting myself, since I’ll usually feel better doing something for someone else rather than myself. My family are also a huge part of my plans, motivation, and meaning. I think that my parents are great motivators for me, and it is important for me to make them proud as well. My dad is someone who has had it much harder than I ever have, and I owe it to him to work tirelessly at whatever I set my mind to, much like he does. My mom and my dad have been very supportive, not forcing me to pursue anything and instead encouraging me to seek out the things that provide meaning to my life, which has led me to the path I am on right now. That is something that I will always be thankful for.