get rings
So in the weeks since I graduated from Harvard, I had been mulling over the idea of blogging. Mind you this was a very difficult decision to make, comparable to the one Lebron James made last year. However, although Lebron and I both make 'big decisions', there is one stark difference between the two of us.
I WIN.
But enough dissing on Lebron. The guy makes more money in three months than most of us will make in a lifetime. Hopefully I don't fall into the "most of us" category though.
After playing copious amounts of Halo Reach, FIFA, and GTA IV for two weeks, I spent a week in Thailand. It was okay. We didn't get to go to the beach but it was still awe-inspiring. For me, it was awe-inspiring because it is impressive to build shrines and pagodas that nearly all look the same. However, I got really close to some tigers and elephants! The food was fairly decent as well. By far my favorite thing about Thailand was the cost of everything. I fail to understand how goods in Thailand go for so cheap.
Hell it's not every day you purchase a GOOD cashmere and wool suit for $200.
Now, as of a week ago, I am in Hong Kong where I am in the RIPS program. RIPS is both a research program and an internship in that the participants are working on problems select companies are facing using advanced mathematical and technical skills. I, myself, am working for MetLife attempting to find an optimal aggregate loss model that best predicts combined risks. It truly is an awesome program.
This is also how I'm deciding what I want to do after this summer. If I enjoy the internship, I'm going to look for actuarial jobs (also have two exams passed). If I hate it, then I'm probably going to teach in Hong Kong for a year or two before getting my statistics Ph.D. I majored in math in college but my interests were in real analysis, probability, and statistics. The other topics such as most of algebra and topology bored me to tears.
Also you make more money in statistics. And if you say "I don't care about money because I'll do what I love", I understand your sentiment. It just happens that one of the things I would love to do involves owning my own soccer or NBA team. I'm going to need money to do that, even in Thailand.
*Disclaimer I am interested in going into academia as well, hence ph.D. in statistics.*