Chris Arriola
As a kid, I was always ambitious and I believed that someday I would be a surgeon. I knew this for a fact because I wanted to be able to help people and give them another chance. I was going to change the world by being the best doctor there is, that was my original plan at least. If I can go back in time and tell my 6 year old self, "Hey kid, you're not going to be the best doctor, you're not even going to be a doctor. hahahaha" I probably would've cried my ass off for (1) not being a doctor, and (2) the fact that even as a grown man I'm still embarrassingly immature. So what happened? Well a few years ago I came to the realization that you don't have to be a doctor to help people and change the world. How I see it, as long as you love what you're doing, you are helping people and changing the world for the better.
At the moment, I’m working for HP in San Diego as a software/application engineer and I’m working on designing software for removable tablets on HP’s eStation printers (one of the printers was featured in mashable.com as one of the 5 gadgets that broke new ground in 2010). I enjoy finding and creating new ways to make life more interesting and convenient by creatively manipulating existing technology. To be more specific with my field of interest, I enjoy learning programming languages and emerging technologies specifically in the web and mobile space (random fact about me... my favorite math operation is the integral closely followed by addition).
Although my perspectives have changed over the years, I still carry with me the optimism and ambition of the 6 year old Chris. Call me a fool, but I still believe that anything is possible. Coming from this mentality, I find myself inwardly drawn to the idea of change and the power of a person to elicit almost any change in his or her life. Whether it be changing an old habit, becoming a doctor, climbing Mt. Everest, running 60 miles, etc. it's all doable. I'm not saying it's easy, but with the right principles and support, it can be done. As you'll see in future posts, JOCC as a group is very diverse and we each have our own definition of what we call personal success. Despite this, whatever our goals may be we're all in for the long run to help each other out while at the same time sharing our experiences along the way.
