Hypersyllogistic Forums: "Where the tides of fortune take us, no man can know" - Hypersyllogistic Forums

Klingon Chancellor Gowron said that to Captain Benjamin Sisko in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fifth season episode "By Inferno's Light." Considering recent events in my life, that seems an appropriate title for this blog entry.

My internship for the Government Affairs department at the Cato Institute will be ending soon. I have enjoyed the experience immensely: I attended a few congressional committee hearings at which Cato scholars testified. I sat in on a large conference call with Karl Rove before President George W. Bush's State of the Union address. I learned my way around the Capitol Hill office buildings (Russell, Dirksen, and Hart for the Senate; Cannon, Longworth, Rayburn, and Ford for the House) as I delivered studies and books to various politicians and their staffers. I absorbed great quantities of information at roundtable discussions and film seminars. And I met many amazing people.

What will I do next, after the internship concludes at the end of May? I will become the new Web Technologies Associate at Cato Institute.

That is weird for a couple reasons:

• I had intended my internship at Cato only to be a stepping stone to a job on Capitol Hill. After all, throughout my life, I had dreamed of working in politics. And I want actively to make a difference, not put out ideas hoping decision-makers will act on them.
  
• The Web Technologies Associate position has little to do with what I studied in college. Coding and scripting web pages was only a hobby for me. And my family sometimes wished I would stop "sitting on my ass" making Internet sites.

But, in the third quarter of the internship, I realized Cato had more to offer, in terms of knowledge and relationships, than I could take advantage of by the end of May. So, although for much of my internship, I had been preparing to gain employment in a congressional office, I decided I would rather work for Cato instead. My intention was to apply for the Government Affairs Assistant position that is opening up soon, but my intern coordinator knew of my fondness for web design and encouraged me to apply for the Web Technologies position, too. I did so thinking it would constitute a backup, since I hadn't officially studied web design or gained professional experience with it.

Lo and behold, a few days ago, I was offered the Web Technologies Associate position. I accepted the offer, and I couldn't be happier to have done so. Now, I have ample excuse to immerse myself in technology for its own sake. I will remain at Cato for a while. I shall make quite a bit more money than I would have as an entry-level congressional staffer. And I can help promote liberty through the most effective tool available, the Internet, and with a platform that enjoys a lot more traffic than Hypersyllogistic.

Since my web savvy has landed me a well-paying job, my family has become quite supportive of my design predilection. For my birthday, still a month away, they have bought for me (rather, allowed me to purchase with a credit card) Adobe Web Premium Creative Suite 3 ( ), several web coding books, and a wireless router for my apartment, so I can use my laptop, too. (I find that easier to use for writing and coding sometimes. This blog entry probably wouldn't exist but for my new wireless network.)

Responding to Gowron, Captain Sisko said, "They're tricky, those tides." Sometimes, they're also enjoyable. And I can't wait to see where they take me next.

(A disclaimer is necessary: I do not in any way speak for the Cato Institute. I just work there. My thoughts and opinions are my own, and they do not represent those of Cato.)