ARCHIVES: FROM ONE BEGINNING TO ANOTHER — A GLIMPSE OF THE REAL WORLD

By William B. Wong ’79

What’s the real world like? As I tripped closer to graduation, that question loomed larger in my mind. During the peak of my hysteria, the real world became an unearthly monster like an inscrutable black hole threatening to swallow me up. Like many of my peers, I could have temporarily escaped that fate by opting for several more years of academia, but I was determined to wrestle with this unknown. Having now tasted the real world, I can truthfully vouch for its harmlessness, for those who are contemplating the real world with No-Doz in one hand and tranquilizers in the other, let me provide you with a glimpse of my first taste of the real world.

I had driven well over 4000 miles to reach this spot in Long Beach, California. I gazed outward through my motel window as I had done countless times on my cross-country trek. What struck me immediately and what had stuck me as typical of California were the palm trees. Though their slender bare trunks dotted the horizon, they seemed out of place, mirroring perhaps the feelings I had of my present situation.

I had graduated from Princeton with a MAE degree and after prolonged consideration of salary and location, I had decided to cast my future into Douglas Aircraft’s hands. Those hands, no doubt, would have fumbled if the future had been predicted. Weeks after my acceptance of their job offer, the nation’s worst air disaster struck. A DC-10 crashed minutes after take-off at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

The foreboding crash has not diminished any of my pioneer spirit. I had left New York like an Old World explorer searching for adventure, a warmer port, and a rendezvous with the outside world. As I continued to gaze outward, I felt subdued by the picture of five palm trees around a small concrete pool framed by my motel window.

The harshness of reality finally arrived one morning at 7 am, almost a week after my arrival. I showered half-awake and unhurriedly put on a tie and jacket. I had an 8 am orientation meeting for new employees to commence my first day of work. I decided to drive the quarter mile distance to my new workplace. As I neared the massive, glass-paned office building, I began to feel uneasy. The closer I got to the now oppressive building, the smaller I felt. I glanced around; there were not even any palm trees around.

Reality comes to people in different ways. Some people like to take reality in small regular doses while others require a massive initial shock treatment. Someone must have thought my prognosis required the later. I had just spent the last 15 minutes or so touring every single parking lot on the company premises and in frustration, dumped my old Buick in a remote but illegal parking place. As I rushed towards the nearest building, I suddenly realized I had no idea where I was going. I glanced down at my watch and my stomach sank to my feet. Wherever I was supposed to be, I was already several minutes late.

Aided by several people who seemed to give me a different set of directions, I found myself in front of a close door. Though I had already decided to boldly walk into the room, the thought of my grand entrance made me hesitate. I could see myself in one of two situation. I would find myself with the wrong people and be embarrassed or I would find myself with the right people but 15 minutes late and still be embarrassed. Dragged on by a sense of fatality, I entered the room.

My quick insight in to the future turned out to be almost true. As I scampered into the back row of seats trying to avoid the quizzical and half-smiling stares, I did feel embarrassed. Unfortunately I still was not sure whether I was in the proper room or not. I spent the next few minutes desperately groping for clues. Finally I decided that I was in the right place. The speaker, at that time, was blandly going over trite company regulations. I stretched to relax. As I was beginning to feel somewhat settled, reality poked at me one last time that morning. The speaker was answering a question. “Yes,” he said sternly, “we do tow away illegally parked cars.”