Fall and opportunity costs

To say Fall season in southern California is my favorite time of year causes some to question my taste in season picking. It would be more appropriate to have, let's say, Summer or Spring as a favorite for obvious reasons as the blue sky, nice flowers, a good holiday like the 4th of July, what else, oh- the beaches. Fall in southern California? Compared to other parts of the United States, it can be bland, a lame change in weather or scenery, and besides, the one good holiday in Fall doesn't even give a day off.

For me, however, Fall season possesses certain qualities that no other time of year can come close to attaining. Fall, for me, is a new chunky knit sweater and a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon powder. The air smells and feels of new beginnings, but also reunification with old tradition. Fall is a sole ray of light shining through French windows while acoustic guitar is playing in the background. Red, brown, orange, mixed with smooth black, gray, and even some touches of navy blue are my color picks for a southern California Fall. The wind starts to become chilly, and for the first time goosebumps surface on skin without the aid of air conditioning. The mood is happy, but can quickly turn melancholy or even solemn.

And this Fall in southern California is particularly special because not only will it be the first one for me in four years. I expect it to be good, because history suggests that it usually is pretty good.

One thing that has been on my mind lately is the idea of opportunity costs. There was always an opportunity cost in decision making, regarding the loss of benefits from not choosing the next best possible option. It seems like the "older" we get, the higher the stakes become in this game of life we engage in to play. I remember there was a time not long ago when choosing which math class to take was considered a tough decision (i.e Advanced Placement Calculus= better shot at college admittance, Statistics = a cop out move but a happier senior year). I ultimately chose Statistics, don't judge.

That was five years ago. Now, like switching regular restaurants, a whole new array of dining options are being presented. The waiter comes and presents to menu, and it all looks great because I am starving. Which one to choose? Which one to choose? Go with the steak- a tasty and filling option- but have no room for ice cream later? Or go with the salad- light and refreshing- but be hungry again two hours later? Maybe the best option is the pasta- it's somewhere in the middle in both satisfaction and pricing- yeah, that one looks alright. But it's only...alright.


Now, take away the restaurant and replace it with words like "responsible adult, building equity, starting a career, professional school, traveling abroad, job satisfaction, stability, success, failure, happiness, networking, finding yourself, financial security, work/life balance, money, fun, youth, savings, loans, familial piety, and college nostalgia." You get the menu options for a typical new grad. And nothing I have chosen on that menu so far has came without an opportunity cost.

By choosing to go work in China for the summer, I was choosing to celebrate youth. Freedom to be young and happy, to see the world in a way that anyone older probably couldn't. It was a great feeling to decide to go to China and then make it happen. I had intense job satisfaction because it was fun, there was definitely a work life balance in order, I did a fair amount of soul searching, and afterward I was able to travel abroad, go to the Olympics, see new places and revisit old ones. It felt damn good to wake up and remember that I was in a place I wanted to be at.

But also by choosing to go to China and travel, I had also given up the ability to achieve a multitude of things such as stability, money, savings, familiar community, familial piety. And then somewhere along the line, I think this was in Singapore, the marginal benefit of traveling, youth, and being carefree wasn't enough to make up for the losses incurred from the aforementioned things I had not been attaining while in Asia.

So then came the flight back home, the enrolling in an lsat prep course, and the eventual submitting of the resumes for jobs. You gain some, you lose some. Gain security and responsible adult reasoning, lose (what I feel is) spontaneity and memorable adventures. Gain: knowing what your doing with viable goals and plans, Lose: the possibility of really knowing what you're meant to do? Questionable. Gain: a life? Lose: living it?