The Very Beginning.

I am 16 years old, and I am thinking about my future. Which program am I going to choose? The most obvious choice is Engineering, my father´s job and passion. He encourages me every day, and I think it could be wonderful. However, this last week at School at the Social Studies course I discovered the Constitution for the very first time. The teacher talked us about our rights and duties, I found it incredible. I am uncertain for my career choice, Law or Engineering. On the other hand, this will be my last summer before the senior year and I must decide whether to begin my preparation for College entrance exams or to travel to volunteer abroad. I'm lost.

Choice 1 : Volunteering to South Africa.

Choice 2 : Summer: sun, fun and books.

Two years later.

Perhaps this is surprising, but two years later I am studying Law. What happened? Just the day after I filled up my application process to be an Engineer, I changed my mind. It was as simple as filling new papers and to wait for the College response. Do you want to know what is coming next? Come with me and find out.

Choice 1 : Law.

Engineering.

Become an Engineer must be one of the biggest achievements in one's life. Because of them we have buildings, highways, communications, pipes, planes, everything! It's a great challenge, it requires to know about math, physics, chemistry and a lot more. It this makes me wonder if I have the necessary skills. I'm not so good in Sciences. In fact, being honest I found it annoying and definitely not interesting. Be that as it may, I feel the risk is worth it. I am going to study to become a passionate engineer like my father. Right now I would like to know what is going to happen to me in two years, or maybe in five. I'm dying to unwrap the future.

Choice 1 : Five years later

Choice 2 : Two years later.

Summer: sun, fun and books.

Every year the summer has been the same funny thing. Travel, beach, mountain, friends and great time. Until this time. Now, I'm excited because the Senior Year is very close and also the College Admission Exams. Either choice is Engineering or Law, my chances will be better if I do a great exam. Every afternoon, at 3 o'clock knocks on my door Mr. Kampf, a retired teacher who comes to help me out with physics, math, chemistry, and grammar. We have a tight schedule to make, so there is no time to waste. At the end of every lesson, we have conversations about different matters of the real life. Two of them stayed in my mind: internships and retirement. I started dreaming about them...

Choice 1 : Internship or Nightmare?

Choice 2 : About retirement issues.

Volunteering to South Africa.

I can still remember my volunteering in South Africa. I'm not going to tell you how awesome the country is, I'm not going to tell you about its incredible jungle or tell you stories about their food, their coffee or their landscapes. I'm going to tell you how amazing their people is and how helping them I became an invaluable experience. It's a widespread idea that poverty in Africa make their people violent or aggressive. In South Africa, you will find peaceful places, friendly people and an outstanding state of mind that is their essence. Every day I remember the mighty jungle, its animals, its force, its powerful energy. I felt so disconnected from so many useless worries that I am convinced that I have never felt such freedom. Freedom of soul, body, and spirit. Another reward I got volunteering abroad was the language: my English became pretty much strong after my travel. I found a purpose in my life in a very hard moment where I was making choices. The end of my journey was about to come. And the question remains the same: Law or Engineering?

Choice 1 : Engineering.

Choice 2 : Law.

Internship or Nightmare?

I found an internship at IVM. I was incredibly happy when I began and incredibly disappointed at the end. Let's start with the money: the salary was miserable. I'm fully aware that you won't get millionaire as an intern, but come on, it was 2 hours driving from the college. They should have paid me at least the gas. To continue, they gave no basic training to anyone. How do you suppose to learn a job it you don't get the basics with someone's help? My "boss" boss didn't care about it. The company itself was a disaster. No procedures, no instructions, no directives to start, nothing. How to learn the ropes when you're blind? There were other interns, like me, and they felt completely overwhelmed, all the time. And last, but not least, the people we worked for over there: apathetic, rude, angry, definitely not the kind of colleges you would love. Putting a foot in the door with them was awful, but worthy to my future. I felt so tired at the end and I realized I was dreaming. I felt really lucky! Now, let's think again: Engineering or Law?

Choice 1 : Engineering.

Choice 2 : Law.

About retirement issues.

This is my friend Tania. I never imagined she could be able to reach the golden years. Careless, reckless, eternally rebellious… it was crazy just thinking about her carrying out a regular life, within the standards of normality. That was my prediction, until the improbably moment that Robert knocked on her door and changed her way to see the life for good. Tania began to talk about the meaning of a pension plan, a mortgage, what was a retirement fund. The 5th October 2040 is her retirement date. That date that changed my life for good, as well. On the wink of an eye, the former rebel was better prepared for the future than most of her friends, me included. Tania became a financial advisor, has a beautiful family and her future is financially secured. As my portfolio is on her hands, if I have any question, I just pick my phone and call her… I would have loved to keep on dreaming a little bit more to find out more, but the clock’s alarm woke me up. It is time to get back to reality, and decide what to do, whether to study Law or Engineering...

Choice 1 : Engineering.

Choice 2 : Law.

Sexual Harassment and Law.

While I was thinking about my big choice during my first day backed at School, I heard from our new teacher a thrilling story about a subject I did not know at all. Let's hear about Sexual Harassment, "My friend Maria got a nice job at the School of Medicine. She was happy and comfortable with the position, in some way she got luck. But one day everything changed. She called me crying, she couldn't take anymore the situation with her boss. It was a by-the-book sexual harassment case. The perpetrator was a teacher, a middle-aged man, nice and charming at the classroom. But inside the office, when nobody was watching, he began a slow and tortuous process "flirting" Maria. He began telling her she was pretty, asking if she had a boyfriend, offering to take her home, talking about his marriage, that he was divorcing... Maria stayed quiet and still, never gave an emotional or sexual response in any positive way. But the guy didn't care, the questions and insinuations continued. And one day, he got into action and attacked Maria. Maria was aware she had a handicap. Nobody would believe her, because of her age, because of her youth or because she was a woman. Nobody asked if she felt dread, if there was any misconduct from someone when she quit. Happily, it happened a long time ago. I'm so glad that things have changed. Today she would keep the job. And the guy would be probably in jail." How many people are there outside waiting for legal support? I think the big choice is made. I'm going to college to become a Criminal Lawyer.

Write a choice here.

A sad HR position.

As time goes by. Five years ago I decided to study Engineering, what a wrong decision! In less than 6 months I quit school, I could not handle all those calculations, formulas, exercises and so many bitter things to remember. It found it was too late for me to go back to college again. So, I decided to start my career in Human Resources. Once someone joked about HR: in those departments you’ll find neither resources nor humans. Although this was a prank, in my personal experience this is the ugly truth. In the different places I have worked is the same story: an old bureaucratic structure, inefficient, lazy, slow and with zero capacities to solve internal conflicts in the company. It is normal that HR departments don’t like to do the leg work. They make all the time a poor performance, their capability to sift candidates is terrible and most of the time the results are the same: the vacant positions cannot be fulfilled. It is frustrating because the rest of the areas are usually overwhelmed, and they desperately need to people with a minimum competence profile! It has been sad to see that most of HR Managers never have the right qualifications. Shame because we are talking about a key position. To find the right candidate is an art, the same to build a scale of benefits, a compensation package and a lot more. I hope someday to know a great HR department. Well, actually I have to say that I wish I had chosen Law. Maybe in my next life.

Choice 1 : Start from the begging

Law.

What is Law? I would answer that everything. It is present throughout our lives. Since you were born, you get a birth certificate, your parents get you documents, then you grow up, you go to school, step by step you start to sign small things, then your first employment contract shows up, you decide to marry someone, a marriage contract, then you decide to incorporate a company, you get a lawyer to have some advisory, and so on. Life is marked by Law, in each one of our phases we have rights and duties to fulfill. Good and bad stuff also happen, accidents or intentional acts, and their consequences are governed by the Law. So, the Law must be fair, it must have a logic in order to be valid, it needs a coherence, a philosophy, some principles that would guide our society to improve, to evolve. Law is in everything. If you love life, then you will understand that to love Law is of the essence. I remember as if it were yesterday when I made the big choice. I picked up to study Law and, god, it was the best possible decision of my entire life. Today I feel fulfilled because I want to believe I was able to make a difference to many people. In some way, helping them I have helped myself. And you, are you happy with your choice? With all my heart, I wish you were.

Choice 1 : The End