So...how cool is this?
I'm 31 years old. I graduated from college in 1999. Since then I've been a journalist--for ten years.
But now, at this very minute, I'm finishing my first reading assignment for Princeton's History 293, "Science in a Global Context," taught by D. Graham Burnett. Today is the first day of classes. (Princeton starts late.)
I am a student again, exhilarated by the prospect--and also deeply confused by it.
For example, I currently have numerous journalistic and book assignments, in various stages of completion. So while I'm being a student, I'm also going to have to keep being a professional writer. How is that going to skew the experience?
Similarly, I have a lease, a dog, a fiance, a car, bills, taxes, a driveway and sidewalk to shovel, etcetera. Back when I was a student the first time around, I worried about none of these things. How is that going to skew the experience?
I don't know yet, but I hope to blog and write about it. Stand by...
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Dear Chris, while I appreciate your recognition of the addition of me to this new phase of your life, and the stresses it may bring with it - both positive and negative - somehow the reference to me as "the fiance" seems to me like a precursor to "the wife" or "the ball and chain." Yuck! How about just "my excellent partner in crime, Molly?" >:)
Congratulations on seizing the opportunity.
You asked : "How is that going to skew the experience?"
Did you mean "How is that going to screw the experience?"
My next thought is that you should keep large jar of Ibuprofen handy...
But srsly, good luck! It will be interesting to read all about your upcoming tales and travails.
Chris,
It's called growing up and expanding your horizons.
Most of it is quite enjoyable, even exciting, and also in your case, being shared with your fiancee and others.
Be happy and cherish this time.. You're very talented.
This is great news--I'm interested to see where this leads your work.
So if you have a sidewalk to shovel, I take it you're back from the "decadent Hollywood liberal" west coast area, and now living in the bastion of the "East coast elite"?
I did full-time-work and part-time-school for a while. My advice would be, although you're really busy with both work and school, be sure that this leaves time for your home life. That was actually some advice that I got from one of my professors during orientation, and good advice too. By the end of the program, my wife was getting pretty impatient about the scarcity of "quality time."
Congratulations and good luck! :D
I wish my student experience were "skewed" by being a successful writer. ;)
I would be interested in knowing if Burnett is going to talk about the limitations of models, especially things like overfitting
Having your bank account skewed is highly appreciated as a student.
Good for you, Chris. Back to school is the perfect place for a successful writer. There's always room to grow. And the Princeton Library? Very nice. Now get to work! ;)
Found this reference today and thought you might be interested:
The Dilemmas of Science in the United States: Alexander Dallas Bache and the U.S. Coast Survey. Hugh Richard Slotten. Isis, Vol. 84, No. 1 (Mar., 1993), pp. 26-49