IT Insights Blog — TestOut Continuing Education

Despite all of the college freshmen and sophomores everywhere who, at this very back-to-school moment, can't decide what to declare as a major, almost everyone moves into adulthood having at least daydreamed about various professionals ambitions. "What are you going to be when you grow up" is one of the fundamental questions of adolescence. Whether they envisioned becoming a circus clown, a lawyer, an astronaut, or whatever, most people at some point in their youth pictured themselves settling in as something unique and/or special down the road a few years. Even for those who followed a clear path from the start, however, what you begin doing as your career doesn't always last for as long as you might expect it to.

Years ago, when I was young and had promise, I was occasionally called an “Ugly American.” (At first I chalked it up to being from America and being marginally less handsome than most.) Being referred to in such an unglamorous manner typically followed my making a statement about how weird something was or looked, e.g., wall maps in foreign countries where the United States isn’t in the middle, or Canadians celebrating Thanksgiving in October. Fortunately, I’ve since come to realize that there are a great many world views besides mine.

Today, trends seem to control our society. We glance multiple times a day at what is trending on Facebook or Twitter because of our innate FOMO (fear of missing out). You check your favorite team’s latest trends in the sporting world, and dive even deeper into your favorite athletes’ statistical trends. To those of you concerned with your personal style, you are checking the latest fashion trends to keep up-to-date.

It's a holiday in the United States (where TestOut Continuing Education is based). Labor Day honors the contribution of both private and public workers to building the nation over many generations.

On Sept. 13, 1969, backstage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Europe’s best bodybuilder is preparing to go onstage for his first Mr. Olympia contest. Full of confidence, he is warming up and flexing in a mirror. Suddenly, Sergio Olivia, the current and three-time Mr. Olympia, quietly enters the room. Standing off to one side, Olivia casually steps out of his overalls and flexes. At that moment, Arnold realizes he is not going to win.