I’m preparing for my IT (information technology) lecture tomorrow on the topic of IT opportunities in Viet Nam and abroad. I’ve been thinking about it for quite some time now- since the beginning of the lecture series, actually.

The students are only midway through their program and in the field of IT, anything can change within a couple of years. Predicting the future has always been difficult for me, even if I have a magic eight-ball.

When I started my freshman year in college as an engineering major, I knew that that was what I wanted to do- to be working on spaceships… Yeah, that’s the ticket! Unfortunately, my aptitude and patience for physics equations and phantom numbers proved to be my downfall and exit from the field. Actually, it was the help of my summer internship mentor that turned me in the direction I am heading, and the place where I am, now. She was adamant about finding success in happiness and translating that into “the perfect career”.

Thus, in preparing for tomorrow’s lecture. I’ve decided not to give them a comprehensive rundown of the many opportunities currently in IT and the budding opportunities of tomorrow, but rather a chance to truly explore what really makes them happy. Of course I’ll have information on current and future opportunities, but I’ll also give them techniques that they’ll be able to use when they do go job hunting. When you’re approaching graduation, that seems to be the one course that no one ever really teaches. One advice I will give for this field is that they should expect changes to come quickly and for disappointments to be numerous, especially in the search for a job. Even with that, the one thing I’ve noticed after all these years of observing the industry- any industry for that matter- is that your job search results will only be the tip of the iceberg.

Smile, people. Here’s my outline for tomorrow’s PowerPoint slides:

• Likes and Dislikes
• README.TXT
• Career Translations
• The Master Plan
• The Pursuit of Happyness
• Finding Nemo

Question: What do politics and weightlifting have in common?

Answer: They were both stories in the O’Colly on Nov. 8, 2007 about a close friend and an advisor that I met while at Oklahoma State University.

Before we get into that, let’s talk about the recent book I finished reading: “Freakonomics” by Stephen D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner.

I first heard of this book two years ago when the book first came out. It received rave reviews at the time and also managed to generate quite a bit of controversy for its abandonment of conventional wisdom in pursuit of real numbers. The book, as the authors say, contains no underlying theme- it’s just a book with many interesting cases that could very much be related. The one that caused the most controversy? The connection between abortion and the drop in crime in the 1980s and 1990s.

The entire book is a fascinating read and I absolutely love the decision to buck conventional wisdom and truly explore other explanations for why certain events transpired. Are these stories and numbers fabricated just to sell books? No. Levitt is an economist. Dubner is a journalist. Both have chosen to live with the curiosity and courage of our youth and continue exploring beyond the boundaries of what is considered “established fact” in our world.

Some people have been, are, and will be offended by some or all of the contents of the book. Others will simply love it. I am one of the latter. If you choose to read the book, I recommend approaching it with an open mind- a real open mind, not the “open mind” that society likes to throw around because it is socially acceptable and beneficial to say so. Here is my reason for why you should read this book.

Looking back at your life, what are the chances that the events that made the greatest impact in your life were “small” and only affected you, rather than worldly events that made the news?

I remember walking to school by myself in Kindergarten because I wanted to show everyone that I was “big enough”. I remember Mrs. Corman being thrilled after reading one of my assignments, encouraging me to “Write more!” I remember Mr. Rider telling our class that the only real limits in life are those you place on yourself. I remember a hug from Mrs. Christman that said it was okay to be afraid. I remember a smile; the time a friend just needed someone to talk to; late nights in the WWC just hanging out; my first Christmas; my first Nutty Bar shared with me by a friend while on a Kindergarten field trip.

These are only a few of the small things that have made me who I am. I’ll go along with Levitt and Dubner and say that I am a “freak” of nature.

How about those two articles? Follow the links to find out.

Click Here for Politics

Click Here for Weightlifting

Question: What are the little things in your life?