Jul 1, 2007

Dear Brieanna,

Happy birthday Brieanna. I hope you had a great birthday yesterday. You are now an adult. It amazes me that 10 years has passed. I've thought about you this week. I wonder how you are doing, and what your plans will be for your life. I wonder if you will ever decide to see me. I hope that you will consider contacting me.

I still remember you as an eight year old. It will take some time for me to get used to how old you really are. I imagine you are very pretty, and confident, and smart. I imagine that you are excited to start college, and looking forward to the new freedoms that you will have to make decisions for yourself. I hope that you are active in church.

As your dad, I'll try to continue to offer you advice based on your age and position in life. It's hard for me to know what your true needs are but I will try to guess. One of the big decisions of life is deciding what you will study in college. It's such a big decision because, often what you study will lead you down a path of your life's work. It's important to choose wisely, so that it will maximize your happiness. My first piece of advice is that you can become successful and rich in what ever field that you choose. For example, if you would like to study art as a major, don't worry about the monetary rewards. If you have talent and ambition you will be able to support yourself with what ever path you take. The most important criterion in the decision is to follow your passions and curiosities. Look deep inside yourself, and try to decide what it is that you enjoy.

As for me, by passion and curiosity for engineering, math and science developed at a very early age. There was very little question of what I wanted to learn when I went to college. I took full advantage while there, and learned everything I could. I still continue to learn more and more about this chosen field, but have complemented this specialized knowledge with other areas of interest, and continue to become more well rounded.

If there is no singular driving interest or passion in your life, and you feel confused about a path of learning, start out with your general ed, and if you find an interesting class or teacher, then follow up with more classes in this area. Take advantage of college in every way.

Put in the back of your mind the possibility that you will need to support yourself and your family financially. Try to gain those skills which will help you to be prepared. My point is that in the past a woman's expectation was that she would get married and raise children, and could rely on a spouse to take care of her monetary needs. The world has changed, and statistically you need to realize that through divorce, or death or sickness you may find yourself in a position where you need to care for yourself and your family. If you've only gained skills where you are making minimum wage, this will make life very hard for you.

Regardless of your field of study, the skills that lead to success are the same. These skills are applying yourself, persistence, and striving for excellence as you would expect, but they also include business skills such as networking, learning to see and follow opportunities, and negotiating skills. If you learn these business skills they will greatly complement what ever other field you choose. To be successful in any field you have to be persuasive, and sell yourself. So follow your heart's desire, but be wise and learn success skills which will help you regardless of your study emphasis.

As for me, I am well. I only miss you, and long to see your face again.

Love,

Dad.