I had my exam today, and I’m fairly sure that there is no way I could’ve possibly passed. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t know the material (although I didn’t), but more the way in which the questions were asked – all very “application-specific”. They didn’t, for example, ask for the mean given a particular probability distribution function; they asked, given that Fred the Barber cuts 32 peoples’ hair in any given hour, how likely it is that he cuts seven crewcuts in 10 minutes on a Friday afternoon.
Even so, I should’ve been better prepared. However “should’ve” fits nicely into that Rafiki the Monkey “it doesn’t matter; it’s in the past” category, so all I can do is try to avoid it next time. It has had the benefit of clarifying my path, which is good – I’m going to graduate with a single science degree, and then finish the engineering degree in 7 years or so (sooner if offered online). That was actually my original plan, but now I’m armed with the knowledge that the University allows credit for previous subjects and courses for up to 10 years. Ideally I’ll find a purely online course they offer that matches most of the “extra” (engineering-specific) subjects that I’ve already completed, and it will only cost me the post-grad fees for two or three subjects.
In the meantime I’ll be overseas, far and away. And if I have to come back to finish it, well, taking a month sabbatical and paying the $2000 upfront fee for a subject will be alot easier to do when I’m 35, not 26. In theory, at least. In theory, I’ll be a multimillionaire by then, and neither I nor anyone I know will need to work.
I like theories! I’ll be talking to Chris on the weekend about how to actualize it. (Covered in the chronofiles.)
I bought an atlas today, to plan where we want to go on our way to Edinburgh. Combining a real dead-tree atlas (for spatial recognition and tactile feedback) with the more ephemeral material found on the web (such as the all important security updates for each region) should make it relatively straightforward to at least narrow down our destinations to something more specific than, “Oh, I don’t know, Europe I guess.”
Hey, I hear that Lisa is reading this now – Hi Lisa! Hi Carolynn! Hi Jared! Hi Adam too, but I’m pretty sure he’s never online ;-)
In other news, we well and truly sold the car, so that’s one less thing to worry about. We’ve been living the cosmopolitan life to the hilt, getting taxis everywhere, but I’m sure sooner or later we will start walking, riding or even using Melbourne’s abundant, if crowded, public transport. It would certainly be more healthy to walk!!
We’ll give it a try this weekend, as we’re heading out to see a friend in the middle of nowhere (well, surburban Melbourne), then back in for Post-Exam celebrations with Chris and Briony.