I find myself in a somewhat unique position regarding Professor Schwarz’s talk at the Becker-Rose Café on Wednesday night.  Being in Naval ROTC, I’m not particularly concerned about finding a job because I already know what I’ll be doing after graduation.  I have a minimum five year active duty service commitment as an officer in the U.S. Navy, so the whole searching for internships thing isn’t very relevant to me.  The way I see it, Professor Schwarz’s talk doesn’t necessarily have to be interpreted as a plan for professional success.  His wisdom works equally well for personal success, and certain parts of his discussion really showed how much he stresses that it’s not all about the end goal.  I personally noted this in how often he reminded the crowd–a bunch of over-achieving Cornellians–that this whole journey is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.  While I don’t have to look for a job in three years, I certainly have my fair share of work to do in the meantime, and Professor Schwarz’s advice is rather appropriate in that light.

I think that viewing the Professor’s talk as more of a whole-person advisory than a professional manual is important.  That’s not to imply that everybody is taking it that way, but I certainly see how some could.  Cornell is definitely a place where people can take themselves too seriously, so remembering to laugh a lot and enjoy the ride is a solid piece of wisdom that many may otherwise forget.