Another Day in Paradise
#1
By Brett Tomlinson
Good Morning and welcome to today’s edition of Another Day in Paradise.
Now before my frozen Midwest readers mistake me for one of those people who move to California and make endless beach, palm tree, and sunshine posts on social media, let me clarify: the title of this blog is meant to be partly ironic.
Here in my enclave south of Central LA, it’s hot, there are no beaches, and there’s lots of homework to be done. Make no mistake, Grad. School. Is. Hard. It is hard, but it has also been fun and extremely rewarding. This blog is intended to convey the agony and ecstasy of my move to Southern California to pursue a Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering.
A little bit about your fearless writer:
In an early attempt to catapult me into the 1%, I was born Bretton O’Reilly Tomlinson III in Flint, Michigan, in 1988. But before you go apologizing to me for the lead in our water, let me say that the tap water in Flint growing up was the best I have ever tasted; cool, clear, and clean, direct from the Great Lakes.
In 2011, seeking fame and fortune, I took a job as a geologist in the oilfield. I couldn’t have known it at the time, but this decision would be a momentous one. Consequently, it eventually lead me here, to the University of Southern California. In between though, I drilled wells in the dusty Australian outback, the darkness of the Arctic, the swamps of Louisiana, and a couple places in between.
I know what you’re thinking, all those other places sound like paradise, why would you want to leave all that and go back to school in Southern California. All joking aside, I really did love my job. But in 2015, it was time for a change.
Mine is a story that mirrors many of my classmates. They love our oft maligned industry. They are here to better themselves, to test themselves, and to figure out better ways to provide the world the energy it desperately craves.
I’m not here to romanticize my decision to go back to school (or my first 9 weeks of classes), but hopefully by reading my blog, you, my dear reader, get a better idea of what it is like to live in Los Angeles and attend the University of Southern California.
Cheers y’all,
Brett
Published on October 20th, 2017
Last updated on October 20th, 2017