The Plan

[Haku]

Okay, so this is probably the clearest version of my vision for the future:

From the moment we are born into this world we are bombarded by the media and exposed to endless and thrilling entertainment. This goes on all the way through adulthood and to the grave. We watch TV, use smart mobile phones, laptops, listen to music, go to the movies, go to the parade, ride the waves, sail a boat, go fishing, and then when we grow up, WE become the entertainers. Everything anyone ever does is find a way to spend each day and entertain themselves whether or not technology is involved -that's not the point.  If you study this cycle, you will notice that we are not advancing, we are simply maintaining ourselves. And that's not bad. We were born into this world as free living beings, we were given the choice to choose the meaning we want to live, to choose the meaning of our existence by doing whatever it is we wish. There is no meaning of life. That concept is entitled solely to the person whom it may concern. So what is my meaning? My purpose? The only thing which makes sense to me is helping the poor. I can't imagine living a life of luxury while there are people starving just around the corner, but I'm not a saint either, I'm not going to dedicate my life to that. Instead, I'm making it my end game.

In 2020, NASA plans to send four brave astronauts to space and colonize Mars. Unfortunately, I will not be one of them, because that is a one-way ticket. They said we don't have the resources to bring them back. So they will be equipped with technology and skills to survive and perform experiments. Every few years they will send four more astronauts and slowly colonize Mars. My vision is that Space Travel will become like Commercial Airplanes; tourists will visit Mars and the Moon or even migrate there once things have settled. If there are no Martians, soon enough, there will be. The first Martian will be the first human child born on Martian soil.

I have been considering to become an astronaut for some time, I want to help make this a reality and I want it to be a reality throughout my lifetime. I want to be able to visit Mars and come back home. I want to advance humanity towards space and make Sci-fi something more tangible. Why? Maybe I've watched too many cartoons. Regardless, I feel it's the only true thing which contributes to the planet as a whole. I don't consider myself American or Dominican, if we were to meet foreign intelligent lifeforms in space, I would say "I'm from Earth." Instead of helping one or two countries, I want to help our race as a whole -what it's supposed to be. Now, I know this is a lot of wishful thinking, but that is why I am telling you this. I need help making all this fantasy into a realistic possibility, and then I can choose a path for the future. I'm not even sure whether I'm lying to myself. Maybe I don't want to be an astronaut, maybe I'm just captivated by the IDEA of being an astronaut and going to space without know what it actually means.

About a month ago, I went to an Observatory in my college. They are open to the public every Friday night. I was excited. I went that night hoping it would answer all my problems, but when I looked into the most real telescope I've ever set my eyes upon (It was BIG), I only witnessed two or three little dots. The teacher told me those were stars. I could sense the astonishment in his voice. This was something that fascinated him. The idea that two suns can be so close together. But I, on the other hand, was disappointed. I hoped that going to the observatory that night would spark something inside me. I was expecting some sort of epiphany, but instead I just got some dots in the sky. This is why I wonder whether I really AM interested in being an astronaut -or just the IDEA of being one.

So, now that I've covered the background of my intentions (somewhat), this isn't set in stone, but the "plan" so far is:

Becoming an Astronaut, based on NASA.
-To qualify to be an astronaut, I need a bachelors degree on engineering, physical science, biological science, OR mathematics.
-I need 3 years of experience in the designated field of study or 1000 hours of flight experience as a test pilot.
-I need to be able to pass the physical exam. I need to have correctable 20/20 eye vision, which means glasses are acceptable (I think) or I need laser eye surgery -maybe. Also, they say that the physical exam is a lot like drills in the military.
-A contract with NASA lasts at-least 5 years. That's 5 years of employment.

Once I get my bachelor in the chosen field, I'd have to get 3 years of experience and join the military. I feel the U.S. military is more prone to go out to war, so if I join a military, I think it'd be back home in Dominican Republic. They aren't at odds with anyone. But that's assuming they provide the training I need. I'm not joining the military for my country, I'm joining for self-interest. As I said, I don't consider myself American nor Dominican -although it'll be my answer when asked- I hold no sense of patriotism for either country. After all is said and done, I'd qualify to become an astronaut. The question is, will I be chosen? This is why, if I take this path, choosing my field of study is of utmost importance.

I expressed all of this with an Academic Counselor recently. I told him, whether or not I become an astronaut doesn't change the fact that eventually I will retire or "take a break". I imagine myself doing other kinds of activities; maybe I'll be a voice actor for some video game or cartoon; maybe I'll write a book; perhaps I'll end up helping the development of the first holographic video games or virtual reality; maybe I'll help create the first Surround Sense Movie Theater where we experience movies as a ghost within; maybe I'll even contribute to my step-father's construction company. I don't know what kinds of things I will be inspired to do or make and therefore I don't want to close the doors. I want to keep them open by choosing a major which could lead me to either of them. With that said, my next goal -or desire is to form some kind of business.

Regardless of the order, before or after or as a replacement of becoming an astronaut. I can imagine myself selling bonds, buying stocks, starting a business.  I don't know what the business will be about, but I can imagine myself as some sort of entrepreneur. Why business? It's so different from being an astronaut, right? It's because, I feel it will contribute to my end game, helping the poor. Being an astronaut will/would be great and all, but I don't think I can become rich with just that. No, I need to receive income from all kinds of sources, and I feel like Business is the way to go for such ambitious expectations. Why do I want to be rich? How does that help me help others? There are two types of people; those who want to help the poor but can't because they have to maintain themselves and family, and those who can but wont. I want to be one of those who can and do. What am I going to do? Donate to a charity? What do charities do? They supply them with food and shelter. No. I believe in teaching a person to fish so he/she can eat for the rest of his/her life. I don't know how I'm going to do it; maybe I'll make seminars or create jobs for them, maybe Amway will have a big part in this.

This is why I need to become rich. For this 'program' to work, I must be able to maintain myself, my prospective and growing family of the future, plus -at least- a single life from the streets. I will dedicate into helping this person rise from the ground. Once I choose one, I can't just leave them back in the streets because something failed. That's why I need to make sure I can maintain that extra life until he/she can maintain himself/herself. It's almost like adopting a child, except they're all grown up and hopefully wont live in your house for 19 years. Once that person has been brought up, I hope to have inspired -not only him/her, but others into doing the same thing. After I have lifted a life successfully from the ground up, I will pick out another soul from the streets. If things go as planned, a net will grow and people will take me by example. This is why my success is so important, this is why I can't simply choose something and go with it.

So, after explaining this to the counselor. He matched my desires with being an astronaut and starting a business with engineering; one of the four fields of study I need to know in order to qualify for an astronaut. If I chose Physics or Biology, it ends there. I'd have to teach at a college or high school and work my way up, but I would always be the science guy. Always. On the other hand, Engineering is more flexible. If I fail to become an astronaut, I can still do many different things with engineering, and if I succeed -even better! So that's one step in. However, the counselor specifically suggested Logistical Engineering. I don't know what that is, but based on what I've read so far, it basically means I have to make sure goods arrive safely to their locations and distributed correctly. Logistical Engineers find practical ways to do conventional things faster and effectively. If this is the definition, and it's what I think it is, then I don't see myself enjoying it. So now we're a step back. If I chose Engineering, such a broad field, what kind would I do? I guess, assuming everything I've said until now is a fact of my future, this is perhaps the one and only predicament standing between my final decision. But before deciding what type of engineer I should be, I need to consider whether my any of this is even possible or whether my lifespan will even allow it. I need to know whether this is a realistic prospect for my future.

So, recap: 
Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (type unknown)
3 years of experience/1000 hours of flying as test pilot
Join Military to obtain training
Join NASA or another Space Agency which after years of experience might lead me into NASA
Retire/take a break from NASA indefinitely depending on level of satisfaction and start a Business
Voice Act? Write a Book? Video Game Design? Programming?
Rejoin NASA while leaving my current business growing under capable hands until my return (I assume that's how businesses work? Otherwise, must reconsider my plans)
Retire from NASA and go back to my growing business
Voice Act? Write a Book? Video Game Design? Programming?
Become Rich
Initiate "The Pick Up Program" (For lack of a better name)

Of course, there are factors I am not considering which might heavily influence the flow of my activities and could happen at any period. Such events include marriage, children, external factors, age, etc. etc.

Thoughts?

[Jinsoku Akuma]

Thoughts: Damn Nam. I'm not sure what to say, it's whatever interests you the most. Heck maybe you could do all of that, such as write a book AND voice act for a video game. Or maybe you could write a book about a guy that does all these extraordinary ordinarily things, kind of like Forrest Gump. But those external factors are pretty big too and can even change all of this in an instant, so I dunno. I so go for the astronaut and see where that leads you first. You could meet a buisness man that would help you make your own buisness or something.

[Zach]

I don't think NASA is the route to go myself. I used to until I realized that big space is just a bureaucratic mess. When people point to NASA and say they went to the moon, they fail to realize that all NASA did was manage, Boeing, Rocketdyne, ATK, Convair and a bunch of other are who really made going to the moon possible. I think that if you are set on this you would want to get in touch with small space firms like Space X, Scaled Composites and the like. Once space becomes commercially viable those are the companies that are going to be looking for employees.

I share your passion for space Nam, you should see some of the ships I've designed. But I don't think Nasa is the route to go anymore. They are more concerned with keeping themselves employed rather then doing anything meaningful anymore.

[Haku]

First, thanks for replying. xP

Second, nice idea Toshio. Whether I end up doing any of this or not, I could probably produce something starring someone who did do it. It could be a novel, an anime, a video game, or maybe even a movie. xP I'd just need to get in touch with people who could aid me since I'm not majoring in acting or anything. But I figured that as long as you have a compelling idea or story, you'll find a way to make it happen. I definitely hope I can do all of them, though I feel that depends on how inspired I might become in the future.

As for Zach, I checked out Space X and Scaled Composites and they look pretty nice. Maybe I'll consider them instead. However, that probably doesn't change the requirements much, right? For example, in Scaled Composites, I still need to be a U.S. Citizen. Lucky for me, I was born in Florida, so there's no problem there. What I am trying to say is that the requirements are probably exactly the same as NASA with one or two differences here and there. Which brings me back to deciding what to major in. As things are going, I think I'll major in engineering, but I still need to know what TYPE of engineer.

There are so many different engineers and I wish I could be all of them, except our lives aren't long enough for that. An Astro-Civil Engineer would probably be the one to make buildings, homes, and roads on foreign planets; a Geoscientist (not an engineer but I felt like putting it up anyway), would probably discover how to alter the atmosphere and "Terraform" a planet so it becomes livable, or an chemist would make a planet artificially livable; Avionics Engineers would design and create space crafts used to travel between planets; we also have Software engineers, Hardware Engineers, Structure Engineers, Propulsion Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Automotive Engineers -eventual creators of commercial space cars, buses, trains, motorcycles, or some new vehicle which only applies to certain planets.

There are so many to choose from and everyone always give you these vague descriptions. I swear, once I find this out for myself, I will probably create a documentary on what EXACTLY and SPECIFICALLY goes on in my job, and then maybe make a franchise out of it where I make sequeals starring other types of Engineering and then expand to completely different professions. I watched a youtube video about being a Logistics Engineer. The video starts with a guy taking a bike to work, they show us one or two things -like their automatic storage device or whatever-, the guy then sits on a Forklift, moves an empty platform and then goes to eat. I doubt that's all they do, and if it is, not much of a seller. xP

Anyway, I feel like, even if I chose a specific course, I would still end up partaking in activities from other fields. For example: The counselor suggested Logistics Engineer. According to what I've searched, I wouldn't want to specialize as a logistics engineer; although, I would probably take it in my hands to do something similar anyway -especially if I'm in charge of some kind of project. I would want to know what resources I need, where they are, and their status of arrival. Does this make sense?

By next semester, I'm thinking of just throwing myself at one and see what it's like. I received a list of classes I'd need to take in order to obtain an Associate's Degree on Engineering Sciences. I'll probably enroll in Programming, Physics, Chemistry, Information Technology and Mechanics. That way I can find out which area I'm most inclined towards. Either way, I still have to take them if I decide to aim for an Engineering major. But do you guys think they're a bit too heavy to tackle in a single semester? Any tips on choosing what type of engineer I could be or specific insight on a field you might be familiar with? My father told me to think of the classes I enjoyed in High School to help choose one, but I don't think that applies for me.

In all my years of schooling I've never had a particularly meaningful learning experience in computer class. It was always about Microsoft Word, Excel, and a bunch of theoretical crap. I've touched coding at home before (used to have a forum), that's why I think I might enjoy a programming course. But my favorite class would have to be science class, except I have never been in an actual lab environment where we made ACTUAL experiments. xP So... yeah... screw high school.

P.S. I'd like to see the space ships you have designed, Zach, don't you have a scanner or something?