East Coast Kahuna

15 years

It's August 2006 and it's been 15 years since I officially finished my PhD in 1991. I only recently realized that it was also 15 years after I received my bachelor's degrees in 1976 (yes, a double major--typical Asian-Americn overachiver...but that will be another topic for discussion). I didn't do it on a straight path. I went to industry right out of undergraduate study, then did a part-time master's degree while working (finishing in 1983), finally going back to school full-time in 1986. I did this in sync with my wife (an undergrad classmate) who finished her doctorate, also not on a straight path, and started a faculty position.

It felt like a long time, getting through high school, finally leaving Hawaii to go to school on the East Coast. I was 21 when I finished my bachelors, but 36 when I finished the PhD (didn't quite do it before turning 30, another overachiver goal). My undergraduate class has already had it's 30th reunion this year.

What's the significance of all this? The second 15 years flew by so quickly compared to the first. Will the next 15 years seem even shorter? I'm now 51, the reverse numbers of 15. Maybe it just means I'm in true middle age now. Wouldn't mind setting a goal of at least one-hundred and 15 years.

(Note: For completeness--my bachelor's degrees were in Chemical Engineering and Biology from MIT in Cambridge, MA. I went to Columbia University in New York City for a MS in Chemical Engineering. My PhD was from Cornell in Food Science & Technology, concentrating in Food Engineering. Not too atypical for an Iolani alumnus.)

posted by tjh14850 @ 7:12 AM