What I Like

I've always liked science.
And english.

My earliest dream, was to be a writer, so I write. About what? Anything I guess.

I enjoy learning, I enjoyed history, geography, political science when I had to. Economics was boring at first, but became more and more interesting as I was introduced to the microeconomics and statistical reasoning of Freakonomics.

I enjoy physics and maths- as long as I can relate it to real life.
I enjoy updating myself on psychology, even dabble in philosophy... though there are times I lose respect for either field, mostly when they try to take a place of eminence over the raw sciences.

I love biology. I was forced to leave it in 10th grade to pursue programming. I enjoy programming, and content creation with software- graphics design, I was good at it too, till I stopped doing it regularly and learning new techniques. I'm still better than posers that morph their own images on facebook. I'd like to show them down, show them what REAL skill is, but that involves becoming a poser myself- Dichotomy.

I like art, I draw frequently, but I can't say if my taste in the fine arts is as developed as is needed to be in tune with the times- hell I appreciate The Scream and the Dada movement but some of Picasso's works just make me want to scream 'CRAP!'
Modern Art? Pfft, drug induced psychedelia and chimpanzees throwing their excrements at a piece of paper- and art so bad that it has to be a critique or analysis or something equally smart- never understood that. Everything should explain itself- a big believer in articulation.

I enjoy tinkering with machines as well. Wish my parents had played that up when they pushed me into engineering. Fools, they are, and I can never understand why they've never managed to understand me. I do what interests me, and I have no other motivation. Its not so hard to work with- after all, my interest is piqued by a great many things.

I disliked chemistry. It was tolerable but I would never want to study it further.
I'm doing Chemical Engineering. Could have taken anything from Electrical to Comp Sci in a five year course but my own lack of initiative and my parents' dogmatic idea of what my future should be ('don't do an MSc.!!! Don't do a 5 year course!!! Don't waste a year!!!') along with sickening advice from the vice chancellor ('No, don't let him do what he wants! :D')

Still, I won't complain, its a pretty good college, the people are brilliant, most people can complain about how they are not in an IIT- I'm one of the few who has no reason to be depressed, at least as far as the intelligence of students and the level of competition are concerned.

But no matter how hard I work I get no reward- marks have never really been a big motivator for me- I need something more tangible, I see people who scored fewer marks than me on every avenue, can't match me in any kind of competition- doing the degree(s) that I wanted to, why?

No reason.

No reason at all.

I scored the marks. I just asked for advice, thinking that people would have no reason to undermine my motives. Turns out that people don't need a motive to kill my happiness.

Its infuriating.
Yes.
So I'm doing a chemical engineering degree with no interest in working on an oil rig or paint factory.
What now? Do an MBA and get out of it-? Just like mummy-papa always wanted.
That path is tainted simply because its being forced on me.

I enjoy the MBA curriculum as well, because I typed out my dad's MBA projects in Australia back when he really couldn't type fluently.

What the Chemical Engineering degree does open up a few avenues that I'd thought I'd lost a long time ago.
That old love- Biology.
The nice thing about being an Engineer is that you're treated like a genius, and doing your degree from a college like mine means that the chemical engineer is treated more qualified than a guy whose done a masters in biotech from a little known college.

Oh, and if I leave India, the average starting salary is some 25 lakhs a year.