Just a quick edit is appreciated, since I've got to hand this in about 12 hours. :)
I have to write about the choices that define my life and how I regret them.
If the choices I make define my life, then I would say the main choice that defines my life today is my choice of pursuing a career as a computer programmer. Interestingly enough, the choice, I've found, defines my life in mostly two ways. The first way the choice defines my life is as a student. As a student, attaining around an eighty average or higher in my high school courses is necessary in order for me to have a reasonable chance of being accepted into a Computer Science program. Afterwards, the next necessary step is finishing the Computer Science program because the degree granted after finishing it is required for most programming jobs. The second way the choice is defining my life is for me to have to spend about ten hours or more a week improving my programming skills in order to at least become a competent programmer. Although it sounds like boring or hard work, it's work I love doing, and, as a result, it defines a big part of what makes me happy in life. All in all, those are the two ways my choice of pursuing a career as a computer programmer is defining my life.
In his essay "Haunted by lives unlived", Helwig wrote, "At every point where a choice is made, another choice is not." In my life, the choice I didn't make when I chose to pursue a career as a computer programmer was choosing not to continue pursuing a career as a professional poker player. What I mostly recall doing during the time when I was pursuing a career as professional poker player is spending many nights pass midnight-sometimes until morning-playing online poker and whenever I could in my spare time, reading as many poker books, online poker forums, and articles on poker in order to improve my poker skills. However, after about a year of doing that, in terms of money, I was mostly break even. I wish I could say I was like my friend who made fifty thousand American dollars after playing for two months, but I didn't, so I quit, because I wasn't making any progress, and it didn't seem like I would in the future.
Sometimes when I hear the message never give up, I wonder if I shouldn't have stopped my pursuit of becoming a professional poker player. When I hear that message, I wonder what if. What if I had not stopped playing poker? What if I had tried harder and longer? What if I wasn't so stupid? What if I had quit right before the big spurt of progress? After all, it's not unheard of for even the best poker players to have an unbelievable bad run of luck. And what if I had continued playing? By now, I might have become a professional poker player. Instead, now, I simply have an unfulfilled dream, an unfulfilled dream that makes me feel sad and angry. The sadness and anger, however, dissipate. I realize I can't change what already has been done. There's no point.
Besides, I have a pretty good life now. So does it matter if I didn't become a professional poker player? In the end, focusing on the present, learning mistakes from the past, and looking towards the future is what's most important, rather then feeling sorry for oneself."
Depending on the formality requirements of the essay, you should consider revising the contractions and removing them. If this is a very formal essay, remove them and instead use the full words. If not, you might be OK.
Good morning.
The second essay is better constructed and more organized, so I have edited it here:
Afterwards, the next necessary step is finishing the Computer ScienceShouldn't be capitalized. program because the degree granted after finishing it is required for most programming jobs.
In his essay "Haunted by L ives U nlived" (Remove comma) Helwig wrote, "At every point where a choice is made, another choice is not." Citation needed. In my life, the choice I didn't make when I chose to pursue a career as a computer programmer was choosing not to continue pursuing a career as a professional poker player.
Depending on the formality requirements of the essay, you should consider revising the contractions and removing them. If this is a very formal essay, remove them and instead use the full words. If not, you might be OK.
Regards,
Gloria
Moderator, EssayForum.com
