This is really not where I saw this blog post going when I sat down to put my thoughts on a page. I was going to reflect on my time thus far at Cisco and discuss my goals for the rest of the summer. But I realized that I was going off on a tangent just about the differences between a “work” schedule and a “college” schedule. So, I’m using my creative freedom to dive into that. I want to explore the key benefits of each schedule and how I hope to merge the best of both worlds. I’ll get to writing about Cisco specifically later this summer!

As I first learned last summer, working life is a dramatic shift from college life. The very notion of a 9-5 is so contrary to a “college” schedule where it is not uncommon to procrastinate on assignments and sprint through everything as the deadline looms overhead. When a problem seems insurmountable at work, often just closing the laptop and revisiting it in the morning provides immense clarity. This schedule promotes a consistent and sustainable lifestyle, one in which it is ok to fully leave work and strike a balance of personal life.

It is worth noting, that the “college” schedule does have some unique benefits. There is something about the impending threat of failing that forces my brain to kick into overdrive. It is the same motivator that causes me to work for hours on a problem set without seeing the hours fly by. Or forces me to commit to memory pages of esoteric derivations for a device physics class. I understand that not everyone performs well in the pressure cooker environment, but I’ve come to appreciate it and, yes, embrace it.

I had an interesting conversation with a mentor from UCLA where we compared these two radically different schedules. In the end, we concluded that there was one key aspect of the latter that we should strive to preserve: the ability to make the most of every minute. At university, there is seldom a wasted moment as we stuff classes, homework, extra-curriculars, recruiting, and social events into just 24 hours. I hope I can maintain this mindset even after I come home after an 8-hour day at work. I know I could accomplish so much more if I simply leverage that time for something productive instead of watching re-runs of Suits.

Of course, “productive” can take on a number of possible meanings from quality time spent with friends and family or personal projects to graduate study or networking. Any and all of these would be worthwhile pursuits. But, the list of things to avoid is equally comprehensive. It includes things like oversleeping, binging tv shows, or even cooking overly complex meals.

There’s one person I met last year who was able to leverage his time to an extraordinary degree. Despite working as a senior machine learning engineer, he was able to use his spare time to consult for ongoing research at a huge tech company, work on personal entrepreneurial ideas, and stay up-to-date with the latest publications in his field. He jokingly remarked that his schedule was still not as rigorous as it had been during his university days.

This summer I was able to fill my time by working on my Cisco projects throughout the day and Bruin-SuperMileage projects in the evenings. Even though I was not rigid with my evening obligations, I am proud of the work I was able to accomplish. I oversaw the design of our new dynamometer, a device that will measure the power and efficiency of our electric motor. I finished an online course about Ansys Finite Element Analysis by Cornell University and used my new skills to generate actionable simulations of our composite monocoque.

I can only imagine the skills I would pick up if I continued such a routine over the years or decades. That’s a happy thought. My goal is to continue treating time as a precious commodity after graduating from college. It would be a defining quality and I know that such persistence can yield dramatic results as they compound over the years.

As mentioned, I will revisit my thoughts on Cisco with a reflective blog post in the coming weeks so stay tuned. I hope you stay safe and healthy during these trying times. Cheers!