The college obsession started when I worked my first real job. Where did I work you ask???? The Wonderful Cheesecake Factory!!! When I was breaking my back and walking 20,000 steps a shift I went to the break room mirror, stared dead into my own eyes and said "You will finish college." It was at that moment I knew I wanted to do more than clean dirty tables.
(One time my manager said to turn on the heat lamps so that the rain will evaporate before it hit the
guest......like WHAT!?!)

Fast forward to present time and I am on my way to become a Civil Engineer. I hope to work at companies like Michael Baker, Fehr & Peers, City of San Diego, and HDR. My field doesn't really require me to get a masters but if a job offered to pay for it then consider that degree secured. Now GPA matters but some companies care about it more than others. The only experiences required is a 4 year degree. Also we have to take two exams before becoming "professional" engineers. We must take the EIT and the FE standardized test. I mean for average of $86k starting salary??? I'm with it. I was sacrificing my body, soul, and mind for minimum wage cleaning tables.
To be competitive as you can be I have to be involved on campus, secure an internship, and achieve at least a 3.0 GPA. Not impossilbe, but not easy either. Worth it though.
To conclude my blog, it has been a fun year writing blogs and seeing the reactions to my experiences. I happy knowing some are finding my struggles funny because I know I laughed when I think about the things I had to do. To everyone growing up and working to secure the bag, I will leave you with wise words my managers used to tell me. "I see you're working hard, but I need you to work harder!"