By: Neil Urian Secretaria Mabulay
(Originally written on March 23, 2018)
Today marks the calendar of March 23, 2018. It has been 5 years since I graduated college. Where am I now? I remember 5 years back during our graduation ball, I was asked the question, where do you see yourself 5 years from now? My answer was, "I don't know, I'm not sure, but once I get a Ph.D in Astronomy, I will dedicate myself to science."
Since I was a kid I have always been fascinated by the night sky. I have always dreamed of becoming an astronomer. But in my country, pursuing this kind of dream is hard. Education in the Philippines is poor. Most universities here don't offer astronomy courses and even if you do study and graduate astronomy, it's hard to get a job. Luckily, everytime I look up at the night sky, I see airplanes flying around. Like the stars, airplanes are spectacular too. That's why I decided to take the course Aerospace Engineering. Since then, aviation has become my passion as well.
Studying in college was one of the best things that ever happened in my life. For a short period of time, I learned many things and, at the same time, I made a lot of friends. I was just a child back then when I entered college; but I graduated as a man. The memory of my graduation is still fresh in my mind, yet it has been 5 years since that memorable day. Everything happened so fast. During my 5-year journey, I made a few triumphs which served as milestones for further future triumphs. The years weren't easy. There were obstacles but, luckily, I was able to overcome them. Currently, I work in a government agency called the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. I own a car and a motorcycle. During these past 3 years, good things kept coming at my window. It is sometimes chucklesome to think that from being an indigent child, now I am someone who is respected by other people. Today, I feel like my hard work and sacrifices have paid me off. What was unachievable before seems quite achievable today. Now I can buy luxuries which I didn't think I'd be able to buy when I was a child.
Working in an aviation industry is quite an attainment for an Aerospace Engineering graduate like me. Considering the fact that in my country, it's hard to get a job. For a man whose passion is in aviation, well, this job is more than enough and I'm quite satisfied with my life now. But for a child whose dream was to become a doctor in astronomy, well, it is not enough. Right now though, I'm saving a little money for myself. With that little money, I was able to buy a small refractor telescope and do astronomy as my hobby. But I'm still hoping that one day, I will be able to pursue my dream and become a Ph.D. It may be hard but you never know when opportunity comes. A plan will always be a plan until it is fulfilled.