David Hilmers + Gordon Gill- Architecture at 45?

The title must not be making any sense right now. So, allow me to explain. After a bad first day in Cognizance, the only remaining lectures left for me to attend were that of David Hilmers and Gordon Gill. Thankfully those went on uninterrupted, and I managed to get pictures with them at the end(thanks to a certain someone whose single please did the trick)!

In space, I haven't been able to notice any man made structure from the shuttle- it's the telescopic cameras that do the work. The texture of The Great Wall of China is similar to its surroundings, blending it with the same. There may be someone who may tell you about noticing The Great Wall from space, but he is just being highly inaccurate. -David Hilmers

David C. Hilmers has achieved everything he could in his life. He was a part of the US Marine Corps Colonel, who was given an offer by NASA that he couldn't refuse (as they offered to pay for his engineering). He went on to be an aviator, an electrical engineer and an astronaut! Retired as an astronaut at the age of 42, he went to medical school, which had always been his dream. There were difficulties, but he held on nonetheless, and finally received a degree. He is now what he always dreamt of- an associate professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and in the Center for Space Medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He travels around the world helping those in need- his most recent contributions being at the time of the Haiti earthquake. His message to us is simple.

There would be difficulties in life. However, it is never too late to follow your dreams. With a basic engineering degree, I don't see any reason why any of you cannot follow any other career choice. Just never back down once you have made a commitment!

The next day, I was a part of a lecture heavily dominated by architecture students- one by a certain Gordon Gill, who had designed the Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, which, once completed, would be the tallest building on the planet. His firm is also responsible for the design of the Burj Khalifa- the tallest building at present.

His firm had a lucky beginning. Their first project, the Masdar City Headquarters, was a result of a Google search of 'international architects'. He says,

Life gives you opportunities, but it is up to you to grab them and get the most out of them.

Coming back to the post, I was inspired by them not just because of who they were, but also because of my thoughts as a child. When I was very little, I wanted to be an astronaut. As I grew up and understood it was not really feasible, I changed my ambitions, and decided Architecture is what I would do (inspired by an Uncle of mine who is an architect.) Over the years, all those feelings got subdued in me, and after clearing the JEE (and not clearing the architecture part, as I lost marks for not taking crayons to the test), I ended up in Geology. Now that I look back, my unnatural interest in Gorgon Gill's presentation, when my non-architecture friends were busy sleeping or playing Temple Run, does make me feel that I still have something for architecture.

Can I take up architecture at 45? Let's see!