The Hike to 30: The best is yet to come

This month, I’m reaching an important milestone in every person’s life: turning 30 years old and embracing full-fledged adulthood. To me, it feels like reaching the peak of a long and well-travelled trail; a journey with both moments of ease and struggle. I’m reaching this milestone with a great set of experiences behind me, filled with accomplishments and failures. In short, it’s been 30 well-lived years. One particular experience stands out among all others: a time when I was a full-time junior in college, while working part-time at a local startup. I’ve faced many challenges, but none as demanding as that one. 

More Than I Could Chew 

For the first eight months of 2015, I was enrolled as a full-time student pursuing my Bachelor’s Computer Engineering at the University of South Florida, while simultaneously working as a part-time software engineer intern at a local startup. My goal was simple: maintain the good grades needed to keep my scholarship while gaining real-world experience to become a more competitive candidate for graduate school and positions at larger tech companies. 

Because of the high workload while enrolled as a full-time student, I required special approval from the head of the Computer Science department. I remember explaining my plan to her, only to be interrupted mid-sentence. “You’re not going to make it”, she told me. After some back-and-forth, she reluctantly gave her approval, but as I was making my way out of her office, she repeated “You’re not going to make it”. I don't know if she tried to dissuade me or challenge me, but I didn’t have the luxury of second-guessing myself. My mind was set, and the reward was high enough to offset the risk. 

My days began at 6 AM. After getting ready for the day, I started my hour-long commute to campus for classes that began at 8 AM. As a true college student without proper adult supervision, I often skipped breakfast—who needed the energy anyway? My classes ran until 12 or 2 PM, depending on the day. From there, I rushed to grab a Subway sandwich for lunch, eating it during my hour-long drive to Apollo Beach, where my internship was based in my boss’s home. There, I joined a small team of five in a makeshift office, working on our product until about 6 PM. Then it was time for the two-hour drive back home. 

By the time I returned home at 8 PM, I’d have dinner and rest until 10 PM. Most nights, I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and call it a day. But those words—“You’re not going to make it”—came to mind, louder and meaner over time, pushing me forward to keep going. Then, I’d dive into homework and studying, often working until 2 AM before collapsing into bed, utterly exhausted. 

After two semesters (eight months), I was exhausted and underweight but still standing. By then, my focus shifted to preparing for graduate school applications, internship interviews, and preparing for the GRE. Surprisingly, balancing these goals while being enrolled as a full-time student resulted in a much easier time than what I had just endured. 

At the end of this period, I went back to the Computer Science department head’s office to share the good news and prove her wrong. Unfortunately, she had left her position by then. I don’t remember her name and I'm not invested enough to look her up. But you know what? I did make it.

Closing thoughts 

Looking back, the best memories come from times when I experienced both the best and toughest moments in my life. A life that’s too easy, and a life that’s too difficult is not fulfilling, a balance must be achieved. A comfortable person and a struggling person are both unhappy people. A comfortable person lives in cognitive dissonance haunted by the phantoms of their past, and a struggling person lives among the intangible spirits of the future. 

I carry a certain peace and excitement, knowing that if I had to relive that challenging time, I could still rise to the occasion. Perhaps with less effort, less sacrifice, and a lot more self-love. To recreate the feats of the past without applying the wisdom we’ve earned along the way would be an inelegant performance at best. 

Reaching 30, as I said earlier, feels like standing at the peak of a long, well-traveled trail, with moments of ease and struggle. But instead of reaching the end of the journey, I find myself at the crossroads of possibility and opportunity, where self-realization awaits to those who dare to move forward while remaining faithful to the desires of the heart. The best is yet to come.