editor's note
Competitive. Career-focused. Sleep deprived. These were just some of the words and phrases that my friends and family members used to describe students at Cal to me before I even started my first semester as a college student. These descriptions relayed message to my brain, amplifying the perceived threats of cutthroat competition, stressing me out before I even took my first midterm. This is the single method of survival for my major of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Berkeley -- the library and computer lab were going to be my best friends, and the need for sleep, my worst enemy.
While bits and pieces of what’s mentioned above are true (to an extent), it soon became clear to me that my parents’ depictions and advice were exaggerated in degree and yet limited in their perception. In particular, their rigid blueprint for how to be a successful EECS major left me wishing for more; instead of taking advantage of my 12 unit course load to “study more,” I took the extra time to explore different organizations and opportunities that were available on campus. While I didn’t know what I was looking for, my curiosity brought me to experiences that were more than worthwhile.
In fact, many of the organizations I have been involved with—including hardboiled—are unrelated to my major or career path. While this is a seemingly harmless concept, I quickly realized that many of my classmates were joining engineering societies, polishing their resumes, attending company info-sessions, or developing their own software—all while I was off writing for hardboiled, or planning a community service event. I have to admit, such deviation from the EECS mold made me at times feel guilty that I was not spending as much time finding internships or advancing my career aspirations. Nevertheless, by participating in a progressive organization such as hardboiled, I feel as if I have been enlightened to the other side of the academic spectrum; instead of being confined to the professional-oriented mindset of the engineer, I have begun to see and understand the activist approach to social topics.
I stuck with hardboiled because of the contrast between the organization’s community and the engineering environment. It is not simply the APA subject matter that attracts me (although the articles are always enticing), but the fact that I am consciously investing myself in a community that seeks to inform and educate that keeps me coming back for more. Sure, being in hardboiled may require some time sacrifices, but in my opinion the things you learn are well worth it.
James Yeh
Layout Editor