ベトナム戦争勃発後の1966年、高校を卒業していたRon-sanは、アカデミックなスキルを身に着ける必要性を感じ、大学に行くことを決意します。そして.......
これからの話は、今、60代、70代あるいは80代の方には、自分の青春時代と重なる物語かと思います。
私も自分の学生時代やIBM入社後の米国カリフォルニア州サンノゼ赴任時のことを思い出しながら、懐かしく、ときにほろ苦い思いで読みました。
So, here I was, a high school graduate with no academic skills whatsoever except for maybe typing, and the US Army just loving to draft a athletics type like me and sending me off to Vietnam to fight in the war.
As I could not possibly get into any 4-year university at that time, I enrolled at the local community college and signed up for the minimum required basic classes to get a student deferment from the Vietnam War Draft that was in affect at that time.
It took me two semesters to get into a regular college English class, but I got there. Along the way, I learned that I had a lot of interests and having a simple non-thinking, repetitive job in Sacramento would probably not satisfy me over a lifetime.
As my reading, studying skills and discipline improved, I generated a strong interest in business subjects, particularly dealing with the management and motivation of people. Years later when I think about it, I got very good instruction at that school and in spite of it taking me three years to finished a 2-year Associate of Art Degree, it was well worth it and laid the groundwork for a solid academic direction. That same explorative nature I had as a small child was now redirected in a wealth of business subjects.
Through high school and right through attending that junior college I had a lot of part-time jobs. As a matter of fact, at my 35-year high school reunion I found Barbara Bennan whom I had a part-time job with. Together we worked in a Chinese restaurant when we were in high school. She was the waitress and I was the bus boy. I also was a forklift operator, a wood and lumber salesman and a telegrapher for the local railroad. The typing skills I picked up in high school got me the railroad job, and I’ve been using it ever since. Looking over my education, I recalled that I had classes on many subjects, and it turned out that only one out of 10 would be helpful and the others useless, but the one that was helpful was so useful and beneficial that I can’t complain. It did take work though to find the valuable subjects for me.
当時のアメリカは、日本よりもはるかに豊かでした。
私が、1979年に初めてアメリカに行き、最初に感動したのは、ハンバーガー店Carl's Jrで飲んだオレンジジュース。
本物のオレンジジュース。それまでの私は、粉のオレンジジュースと炭酸飲料のオレンジ飲料しか飲んだことがありませんでした。
IBMの私と同じポジションのエンジニアの給料は、私の約2倍でした。クリスマスのイルミネーションもきれいでした。
豊かなアメリカ。でもベトナム戦争という暗い影をまとっていました。
クリーデンス・クリア・リバイバル（CCR）＠1968
これからの話は、今、60代、70代あるいは80代の方には、自分の青春時代と重なる物語かと思います。
私も自分の学生時代やIBM入社後の米国カリフォルニア州サンノゼ赴任時のことを思い出しながら、懐かしく、ときにほろ苦い思いで読みました。
So, here I was, a high school graduate with no academic skills whatsoever except for maybe typing, and the US Army just loving to draft a athletics type like me and sending me off to Vietnam to fight in the war.
As I could not possibly get into any 4-year university at that time, I enrolled at the local community college and signed up for the minimum required basic classes to get a student deferment from the Vietnam War Draft that was in affect at that time.
It took me two semesters to get into a regular college English class, but I got there. Along the way, I learned that I had a lot of interests and having a simple non-thinking, repetitive job in Sacramento would probably not satisfy me over a lifetime.
As my reading, studying skills and discipline improved, I generated a strong interest in business subjects, particularly dealing with the management and motivation of people. Years later when I think about it, I got very good instruction at that school and in spite of it taking me three years to finished a 2-year Associate of Art Degree, it was well worth it and laid the groundwork for a solid academic direction. That same explorative nature I had as a small child was now redirected in a wealth of business subjects.
Through high school and right through attending that junior college I had a lot of part-time jobs. As a matter of fact, at my 35-year high school reunion I found Barbara Bennan whom I had a part-time job with. Together we worked in a Chinese restaurant when we were in high school. She was the waitress and I was the bus boy. I also was a forklift operator, a wood and lumber salesman and a telegrapher for the local railroad. The typing skills I picked up in high school got me the railroad job, and I’ve been using it ever since. Looking over my education, I recalled that I had classes on many subjects, and it turned out that only one out of 10 would be helpful and the others useless, but the one that was helpful was so useful and beneficial that I can’t complain. It did take work though to find the valuable subjects for me.
当時のアメリカは、日本よりもはるかに豊かでした。
私が、1979年に初めてアメリカに行き、最初に感動したのは、ハンバーガー店Carl's Jrで飲んだオレンジジュース。
本物のオレンジジュース。それまでの私は、粉のオレンジジュースと炭酸飲料のオレンジ飲料しか飲んだことがありませんでした。
IBMの私と同じポジションのエンジニアの給料は、私の約2倍でした。クリスマスのイルミネーションもきれいでした。
豊かなアメリカ。でもベトナム戦争という暗い影をまとっていました。
クリーデンス・クリア・リバイバル（CCR）＠1968
