regrets of a misspent youth

Today I attended the first of a two-day conference at the Huntington Library called "Rocket Science and Region," which is about the history of the aerospace industry in Southern California. This is something I know nothing about, and I'm always excited to learn new things.

But sitting there all day made me yearn for a path not chosen. Growing up I was equally as good in math/science as I was in English/social studies. I even remember when I was a kid wanting to be a chemist. I loved doing proofs in geometry! I did computer programming all throughout high school, but I realized that while I excelled in the classes I didn't have the innate drive and creativity that all the guys around me who were barely passing (because they were designing anything but class assignments) had. In college I quickly took the humanities path and intended to prep for law school.

Now I wonder how things would be different. I can see that the adult me, had I continued in the appropriate content courses to keep up those math--not just logic--skills, would be well suited to science. My intense interest in learning, research, and sharing my results along with big-picture thinking completely anchored by the sharpest eye for detail just made for observation is what a scientist really needs. I'd also probably have my pick of any job I wanted considering the shortage of women in all sciences.

And just think! It'd be so much easier to meet men, especially the scientifically inclined (remember, it's a bit of a fetish of mine).