Hello Steemians!
This is a two-part post about being a multipotentialite. A multipotentialite or sometimes called as polymath or Renaissance man, is a person who has many interests and creative pursuits. As I recently found out that I might be a multipotentialite, I would like to share my thoughts about it. Here is my background:
When I was young, maybe 5 or 6, I always answer that I wanted to be an astronaut when someone would ask me the question: 'What would you want to be when you grow up?'. If you would be able to hear my answer back then, you might start to wonder. You might start to question how in the world would that very small weakling be able to fulfill his dreams in a mountainous barangay, in a third-class municipality, in a virtually unknown province, and in a third-world country without a space program.
When I thought how my fiddle mind processed those kinds of ideas to give a meaningful answer to the question, I can't help but realize that my answers really don't matter. What people wanted at that time was the cuteness of the reasons that a child would concoct just to satisfy the one who asks.
When I was in elementary, my answer has changed. During that time, I wanted to become a doctor when I grow up. There was no problem with that ambition because for sure, I would be helping the community. In my mind, it would be a noble profession since I would be able to extend my hand to those who are in most need.
In high school, my answer has changed again. That time was conflicting because I have no definite answer. I would shift from one answer to another. During my first year, I wanted to be an astronomer. That's near to being an astronaut. I also wanted to be a geologist at one point. In my second year, I wanted to be a biologist. I love plants, so botany would be great. But I also love underwater fauna, so a marine biologist is fitting. In my third year, I wanted to be a chemist. In my fourth year, I wanted to be an economist or a lawyer. I guess you got the pattern here. Whatever subject is interesting for me, I thought would pursue it in the future.
Before entrance exams in college, I had a hard time in choosing what program should I pursue because I'm conflicted; I love to pursue everything. If there's a course of everything, I would be the first to enroll in it. In fact, my NCAE (National Career Assessment Examination) result would show that I can choose any course that I want to take. Although I had the freedom to choose, I was advised to pursue math and sciences and not on entrepreneurial courses.
I took the entrance exam at the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) and chose accountancy. Luckily, I passed and officially enrolled in that university. What's lacking was my uniform, but at the last minute, I changed my mind. I took an entrance exam at the University of San Carlos (USC) with science courses in mind. I dropped my enrollment in university to transfer to another without a specific course to take. One thing I was sure is that I don't want to count money that is not mine.
I passed the entrance exam at USC. It was time to choose a specific course. When entered the campus for the first time, I immediately asked the guard where the chemistry department was. I thought I had set my mind to pursue Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. The guard told me to go to the Bunzel building.
Can you guess the twist in all of these scattered thoughts and impulsive behaviors?
The twist was that the chemistry department was not in Bunzel but in the College of Arts and Sciences building. As almost the same with everyone I met, there is always a misconception between BS Chemistry and BS Chemical Engineering. The guard directed me to the northwest corner of Bunzel building; to the Chemical Engineering department because he thought Chemistry and Chemical Engineering are one and the same.
The moment I decided to pursue Chemistry, I was lead to Chemical Engineering. I myself, had a misconception between the two before. Because I was tired to go to the chemistry department, I ended up taking chemical engineering. And as they say, the rest is history.
Wait. I have to tell you what happened when the department chair interviewed me. He as asked me why I wanted to take chemical engineering. My answer? It's because I love chemistry! I guess you got the misconception there. Being a diva as he is, he was so angry that everyone he asked that question would answer the same answer as I did. He's still a diva, but maybe he's so fed up hearing the same answer. In his anger, he told me that he would accompany me to the chemistry department because it seems I was lost. No, I was really lost at the time; thanks to that misleading guard. Because I have been scolded already, I decided to stay and continue with the interview.
In my five-and-a-half years in chemical engineering, I thought of quitting countless times, but I endured. Maybe I can discuss in detail about this on a separate post because this is related to the controversial term in psychology: grit. So I finished BS Chemical Engineering at the University of San Carlos Cum Laude. Wait, please neglect the cum laude part because it was debatable and I feel that anyone can refute that. I'm now working as a product engineer in a semiconductor industry.
I you have followed me until now, you might ask where does being a multipotentialite in this story. Well, I think that I might be a multipotentialite because I still haven't given up to those dreams yet. I still dream to be an astronaut, a doctor, a geologist, an astronomer, an economist, a lawyer, and a chemist. In fact, I also wanted to become a philosopher, a physicist, a theorist, a philanthropist, an art curator, a photographer, and a linguist. If I can clone myself, I would have done it already.
I feel like I could not be confined in one space. I should not stay in one place. I thought that the world is too big to be in one place. I wanted to be a traveller; an impulsive one, without regard of itineraries and time frames. I want to do a lot of things and I don't know what to start and when to start it. I became a breadwinner and I support my sister in college, so I don't have that luxury to be risky and impulsive. But I haven't given up yet. I will still continue to dream and do the things that I love.
I guess that's all for my background as a multipotentialite. As for the technical details of being a multipotentialite, please watch out for the second part.
If you are like me, don't stop dreaming, travelling, and steeming! You can share yours by commenting below or make your post about it. I would love to read them all.
