Boston_and_OC: “These kids were by far the smartest and hardest working. Why? While I and the other American students were trying to juggle engineering studies with endless partying/skirt chasing/football/all the other pursuits that most red-blooded Ameican college students enjoy, these kids studied. Most were from cultures where these pursuits were as foreign as praying 5x/day towards Mecca would be for me.”

Thanks for saying that. This reminds of my experience of being a Teaching Assistant at a top engineering school. I was quite intimated by my students who on average were older, until I rearlized how much they needed my tutoring. Of course, to this day, I still can’t converse in sports, and sports is a favorite office small talk topic!

Boston_and_OC: you are very smart to pursue a career in sales; and you’re right that it’s rare to find someone who can bridge the technical and the business world well. Good for you!