A Major Decision

“I couldn't put it off any longer.  I had to choose,” Victoria said into the phone.  Victoria had called to tell her mother the exciting news. It took her a long time and many pros and cons lists to decide.  But now she was sure, she had finally chosen a major to study in college.  The decision of picking a major had been weighing on her for two years and she couldn’t put it off any longer.  She took classes in as many subjects that interested her.  That is how she knew she didn’t want to study Chemistry, Anthropology, or Graphic Design.  

But there were two majors that she kept coming back to.  They were different but both intrigued her in different ways. They  Does she study English and Computer Science?  

She loved the idea of spending her time reading and writing.  As a child she was a huge J.K. Rowling fan.  And in highschool she fell head over heels for Ernest Hamingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.  She could see herself writing fiction alongside these great American novelists. And if she defaulted to teaching English, perhaps she could mentor another woman to become the next great American novelist. 

But she also liked problem solving in Computer Science.  When she was stuck on a problem, she liked stepping through the code, seeing how what she wrote worked.  And when she finished and turned in a program, she felt like she conquered the world.  The world of technology was so vast and so wide, there was no limit as to what she could do in the field of Computer Science. 

English or Computer Science? She could only choose one.

– 

Ten Years Later 

Computer Science

“And that is how we plan to change the world with our new technology.  Thank you,” Victoria gave a soft smile before retreating to her chair.

“That was very impressive,” John, the CEO of Global Tech Innovations whispered in Victoria’s ear as she took her seat in the boardroom of investors.

“You think so?” Victoria asked.

“Absolutely.  You hit all the points.  What artificial intelligence is.  How we are using it to detect early signs of cancer. You truly are brilliant, Victoria.  I knew you could pull it off.”

Victoria smiled.  She had been working on this new technology ever since she learned about Artificial Intelligence her junior year of college.  Her idea blossomed when her dear Aunt Ida got sick with breast cancer.  She knew she could change the world and she was determined to do so.

English

“Why aren’t you dressed?  We need to leave in five minutes.  You will not be late to practice again.  I’m not playing with you,” Victoria had opened the door of the room her sons shared, with a young child with red curly hair on her hip.  Her hair was unwashed and thrown on her head.  She wasn’t sure when the last time she washed the jeans and band t-shirt she now wore.  When did she last listen to a band?

“I don’t want to go.  I feel sick,” Robby, the eldest of Victoria’s three kids said.

“Do I have to go?” Miles, the middle child asked.

“You are the one who wanted to play baseball to begin with.  And yes, I can’t leave you here by yourself.” Victoria suddenly got a whiff of something that smelled like rotten milk. “I need to change Avery.  Please be dressed and ready to walk out the door by the time I’m done with her.” 

Computer Science

“Doing anything fun this weekend?” John asked Victoria in the car on the way back to the office. 

“Something is still not right with the white blood cell part of the algorithm.  I’ll probably take a closer look.  I know I can get those margins of error down further,” Victoria scrunched her face in thought.  

“You work too much,” John said with a chuckle.

“Saving the world takes work and I’m willing to do it.” Victoria said, “You are a CEO of a large company.  Don’t tell me you are not working this weekend?”

“I’ll have my laptop with me,” John gave another chuckle. “But Marcie, the kids and I rented a houseboat for the weekend.  I’m getting out of the city and I’m going to enjoy the great outdoors along with my family.  The internet is a bit spotty but I can usually find a quiet area on the top deck to retreat for an hour or two to check on things.” 

English

“Nice hit, Robby!” Victoria clapped and yelled from her foldable chair beside the baseball diamond. Robby rounded the bases as the short stop fumbled after the ball.  The kids in the outfield had given up on the game all together and were making daisy chains.  The game was as serious as a daisy chain, but Victoria had fun at these events nonetheless.

Avery sat in her pack-n-play and Miles was coloring on the blanket beside her.  She took in a deep breath and admired the cloud overhead that looked like a sunflower. 

“Victoria?” A man’s voice came from the bench below her.

“Yes?” Victoria looked over her shoulder to see a vaguely familiar man.  “Justin?” 

“Yes.  You remember me?” 

“Of course I remember you.  Last time I saw you, you got Pete to play whiskey pong with you.  What was that?  Your senior year of college?  He was so drunk I nearly needed to carry him home.”

“Yeah, I can’t do that anymore.  I’m too exhausted now.  Sandy and I just moved back from Cincinnati.  She got a job offer we could not refuse and now I’m a stay at home dad,” Justin looked proudly at Victoria and shrugged her shoulders.

“Good for you,” Victoria said.  She pointed to herself, “stay at home mom.”

“Good for you too.  Do you still write?  You always were talking about the next great American novel you were going to write,” Justin said.

In the mess of her life, Victoria had forgotten about this novel.  Starting her Junior year of college, she was determined to be the next great American novelist.  She was putting her thoughts together and wanted to write something about stolen art.  She was in the process of developing her characters when she met Pete.  

She met Pete in one of her creative writing classes.  Like her, he also wanted to be a writer.  They spent their days writing and bouncing ideas off each other.  She had all the workings of her great American novel.  She now needed to write it.

When they graduated, she got a job at a publishing house reading manuscripts from other authors and Pete went to work in technology sales.  They got married within the year and when she became pregnant a few months later, she was determined to go back to her job at the publishing house, but she could not bring herself to leave Robby’s cute little face.  Pete was making plenty of money, so she didn’t. 

Computer Science

Victoria tipped her head back and closed her eyes.  She had been working on the algorithm for twelve hours and yet, she seemed to be going nowhere.  She needed a break. 

She could go for a run.  But it was two in the morning and she didn’t live in the best neighborhood.  She could go to the bar down the street, but by now it would be the rowdy crowd she had no interest in socializing.  No coffee shops were open and she wasn’t hungry enough to find a mediocre late night diner.

Victoria crawled into bed.  The remote was on her night stand and she clicked the television on.  The television was playing a commercial and in the commercial a happy family was camping.  They were shown throwing a frisbee and then roasting marshmallows.  She thought of John, up at the lake with his family.  They were probably playing games and laughing.

She started to wonder what her life would be like if she took the time to have a family.  Instead of working on algorithms she met someone, had two point five children and settled down in a house with a picket fence. 

English

“You did great tonight, honey,” Victoria said to Robby.  She turned to Miles, “You colored a beautiful picture too.” She kissed her boys good night, turned off the light, and closed the door.  She had put Avery to sleep an hour ago and she was ready to have a little alone time before she retired herself to bed. 

She sat on the couch and turned on the television with the remote on the coffee table.  On the screen, she saw a woman at her computer.  They were talking about how this woman had used artificial intelligence to identify cancer cells before any other current technology could do so.

Victoria houghed and she remembered how she almost considered making computer science her major in college.  She thought about her aunt Ida and how this technology could have helped her.  

Computer Science

The life on the television was not the life she craved.  She never would have made great strides in technology.  She craved making a difference in the world.

English

The life on the television was not the life she craved.  She would not have the time to enjoy her family if she had gone that route.  She was happy with the choices she had made.