Ronald Pinkoski

Kim Sibson

English 110C

09/11/2017

College presents a unique opportunity to us students. We are given most of the personal

freedom of an adult with a similar setting and rhythm to school. Through this experience, we are

expected to develop skills and habits that will lead us to be successful. I aim to focus this paper

on my own college plan, including why I chose Old Dominion University, what I plan to do after

college, and my personal habits for success in college. As part of this assignment, I was asked to

interview another student and compere their answers to mine.

For this requirement, I interviewed Valton Gentry. He came to Old Dominion to study

electrical engineering, and is confident that he will not change majors. During the interview, he

shared that he has been interested in electrical engineering for a long time, and I share the same

sentiment for my choice. I have been focused on mechanical engineering as my major since I

was little, although I am less confident that I will change major because I want be involved with

all aspects of engineering. After our interview, I asked some other students about their major,

and all of the engineering students gave similar responses: I have always been interested in

engineering.

The reason for choosing Old Dominion University is another question where my own and

Valtons answers were similar. Both of us chose Old Dominion because of its proximity to

home. Valton is living off campus, so this factor is a must, while I am living on campus. When

asked about this I always tell people the same thing: It is good to be living away from home

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without being away from home. Another important factor was scholarship money. Old

Dominion was offering the biggest scholarship is a very common thread among the freshman,

as both Valton and I know. As a minor factor for myself, my parents met at Old Dominion while

in graduate school. This did not have any influence on my choice, but I believe it is interesting

enough to include.

This question is where our answers began to differ. Valton plans to go into the Coast

Guard after college as an electrical engineer. This is an incredibly smart move on his part, as the

branches of service have programs that allow college graduates to start as officers using their

degree to bypass technical training. I have always wanted to work on developing advancements

in technology, so I will most likely be applying to engineering firms out of college. Because

military technology is always on the cutting edge of civilian technology, I hope to work in

military weapons systems research and development. As a backup plan, I could go into game

design, where I can engineer without the constraints of real world science.

As for plans for years into the future, Valton intends to enter the Coast Guard and work

his way through the ranks. I dont have any frame of reference for how promotions in the

military work, although it seems to be a lengthy process warranting the years long timeframe

Valton has budgeted for it. As for myself, I just want to develop technology. Certainly, it would

be amazing to manage projects, but I am less interested in management than I am in the technical

development. There is also the possibility of game design, in which case I hope to be in Canada

working for Digital Extremes. Not so strangely, both of us answered where we saw ourselves in

20 years as starting a family.

As with the first two questions, Valtons answer to this question is remarkably similar to

mine. We are both intent on effectively managing our work to avoid falling behind, and act

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accordingly. I personally use Google Calendar to maintain my schedule and a paper planer to

manage due dates and work. We both also spend a significant amount of time on campus

studying. Since I live on campus, I spend most of my time here, but that is not the point. In

general, it seems that engineering students have a commitment to get our work done and manage

our time effectively.

Reading back over Valtons answers feels like looking at an alternate path for my own

life. I was considering a career path almost identical to Valtons in the Air Force. Many of our

circumstances and choices relating to Old Dominion are similar if not the same, and this is also

true for many of the engineering students I talked to afterward. Using the skills and habits we

develop now, we both hope to pursue our own path. While our paths to success may be different,

the end goal is the same, and I hope that understanding this will allow me to pursue new

opportunities within Old Dominions engineering program.

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 References

Gentry, Valton. Personal Interview. 07 Nov. 2017.