Many of us have started something meaningful\u2014a project, a dream, a degree\u2014 only to set it aside when life pulls us in a different direction. If you\u2019ve ever wondered \u201cWhat if?\u201d regarding an unfinished goal, this conversation with Phil Lockwood \u201995 (and \u201924) about his decades-long journey to revisit an aspiration will resonate with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was two classes short of finishing my bachelor\u2019s degree in engineering. I needed one class in Thermodynamics\/Chemical Reactions and one in Mechanics\/Statics\/ Dynamics. During my senior year, I was offered a dream job in Seattle at Midisoft working on music sequencer software. I was burned out on school, out of time and out of money. So, I leapt at the opportunity and left in 1995 without completing those two classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was at Midisoft for about six months. I later was offered a job in the Bay Area, also in music software, that offered more money and was an exciting early stage startup. But, the company folded shortly after I joined. I then transitioned into a career in software development within the internet and web services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Absolutely. I had always wanted to finish my degree, but it wasn\u2019t feasible to uproot my life from the Bay Area to physically take those classes on campus in Southern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last Christmas, I decided to reach out to the college again. I received an email from Sharon Gerbode, associate dean for academic affairs, explaining there was a path forward as a transfer student: If I could find equivalent courses at another ABET-accredited school, successfully petition to have them accepted and earn at least a B in each, I could transfer the credits and finally graduate from Harvey Mudd. I found two classes near me at San Jose State University that fit the criteria: a Strength of Materials class and a Thermodynamics class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For starters, the Mechanics class was fully booked. I couldn\u2019t officially enroll but kept attending lectures and doing homework anyway, hoping a spot would open up. Meanwhile, I had to review an entire Statics course online to prepare. Thermodynamics was even tougher. I realized quickly that I had major knowledge gaps. When my daughter, Beatrice, was born just a month into the semester, I had even less time and energy. I failed my first Thermodynamics midterm with a D, and it was incredibly discouraging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I found online tutors in Pakistan and India who helped me with chemistry and thermodynamics for hours each week; it narrowed the gap. At the same time, I kept attending the Mechanics class and doing the work, even though I wasn\u2019t officially enrolled. A spot finally opened, and I was able to add the class. Diana, my wife, was also instrumental. She supported me while caring for Bea, especially in those early months. Without her, I couldn\u2019t have managed everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was nervous but determined. I knew the material, but I was slow\u2014especially in Mechanics, where the final exam was packed with problems. I scored a 65% on the final, but the class average was just 50%, so my overall performance held up. In the end, I earned a B+ in both classes, which was enough to fulfill the requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I sent my transcripts to Harvey Mudd College and received my diploma in the mail\u2014nearly 30 years after I originally started my degree. It\u2019s a huge relief and incredibly satisfying. This journey took longer than I ever expected and was harder than I imagined, but I\u2019m so grateful for the second chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you get a second chance, savor it. Don\u2019t be afraid to take that leap\u2014you might surprise yourself with what you can accomplish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many of us have started something meaningful\u2014a project, a dream, a degree\u2014 only to set it aside when life pulls us in a different direction. If you\u2019ve ever wondered \u201cWhat if?\u201d regarding an unfinished goal, this conversation with Phil Lockwood \u201995 (and \u201924) about his decades-long journey to revisit an aspiration will resonate with you. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":59,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4],"class_list":["post-86","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-alumni"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86\/revisions\/189"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.hmc.edu\/fall-winter-2024-2025\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}