I have previously written about my lack of adequate career orientation in high school and subsequent lack of preparation for college. Well, I went to college anyway. The closest community college to home, Los Angeles Pierce College. I thought it was a good school but one thing I noticed in retrospect was that I learned nothing about doing research. After two and one half years and some time at West Valley Occupational Training, learning about refrigerators and air conditioning, I enrolled at San Fernando Valley State College. It's known today as CSUN or California State University, Northridge. The two schools are not much alike. 

I want to mention what I recall as my first lesson in writing a research paper. After muddling through the first year or so I found myself drawn to the Geography Department, where I eventually earned BA and MA degrees. Visits to Yosemite caused me to fall in love with hanging valleys, Bridal Veil Falls in Yosemite Valley captured my imagination. I wrote a term paper on hanging valleys and included all the references I had accumulated from the library, including all those written in German (which I was not able to read). I thought that was what I was supposed to include. In conference with the professor after submitting this paper he asked "Sprechen Sie Deutsch?". 

No real damage done, my paper was for the most part adequate to the assignment, but certainly not stellar. The Geography Department had some excellent professors and instructors and I eventually learned the basics. And after spending almost all of my summers hiking around in the Sierras I had acquired an ambition, I wanted to "do" geomorphology. I didn't have any specific goals but I did have a wonderful friend with whom I did a lot of back backing and generally traveling about the western states. 

It took a while but eventually after obtaining my MA I started a career and it seems I had also started constructing a "gilded cage" for my friend. In retrospect, this career had been my goal and upon attaining it I sought to further it, consequently I lost sight of something more valuable. I did leave the cage door open but the gilding was just not good enough. The point here is to not build a cage at all. Don't let goals make the decisions. They can be helpful guidelines but too easily become tyrants. 

While I'm at it I'd like to wish a happy birthday to my old friend.