I didn’t like it when people made rash decisions.
I thought they should always come up with different scenarios and alternatives that could change the course of their life, or make it easier.
Whenever I had a student come into my office and tell me they knew exactly what they wanted to do after graduation, I would ask them if they can think of something else they would rather do? I wasn’t trying to dissuade them from their mission, but to make sure they were choosing the right path. One young woman came into my office and told me she was going to go to work with her father after graduation. I asked her what line of work her father was in and she told me he owned the local HVAC company. I thought this was admirable, but I didn’t want her to tie herself down right out of high school. I asked if she could think of something else she would rather do? She got upset with me, thinking I didn’t think it was right for a woman to be an HVAC technician. I tried to explain that she could go to college for engineering and considering building a better and more environmentally friendly HVAC system. She sat back down and said she hadn’t thought about that. She apologized and told me her mother was always telling that being an HVAC technician wasn’t a woman’s job. I believed a woman could do anything a man could do; within reason. I just wanted her to know she could be involved in HVAC and still do something good for the environment.