Patrick Murphy

As a kid we lived in a old house and my dad was always fixing things with me by his side. He would be under the sink, under the house or under the hood of a vehicle and I would always be by his side passing him the tools. He would explain things as he went and I learned a great deal. I have always been fascinated with the way things work. I would ask questions, and take things apart. Often not being able to put it back together. My dad is an operator and runs cranes among other equipment. On weekends or other slow days on the job, he would take me to work with him and show me the ropes. This of course was completely against the rules. I have run all kinds of equipment including backhoes, excavators, bobcats, bulldozers and a 50 ton crane. I have seen bridges made and my dad has taught me a lot about basic design principals, much of which I barely understand. Now I am seventeen years old and I have become a motor head. All the years of me helping and watching my dad working on cars has soaked in my brain. I now know how to repair vehicles. Right now I am building a 400 horsepower 350 V8 with nitrous oxide which is something I am proud of. If it runs is another matter. Another one of my passions is building high performance car stereos, which I have learned, is a very complicated matter. I have become a hard working person who feels proficient in fixing and building a broad spectrum of things.

The most important thing in life is happiness. Too often people pursue money and career success rather than what makes them happy. Americans, including me, are too materialistic and are out for the money. What is all the money in the world worth when you are not content with yourself? A personal goal of mine is to be happy with what I have, but not to limit myself to just that. Do what makes me happy, and not sacrifice my values for trivial material things.

A goal of mine is to graduate high school with at least a 3.0 GPA average and go on to a good collage. My academic strengths are Math, Computers, English and Science. These subjects are my strengths because they are what interest me. If I would have to choose a class that interests me most, it would be science. I like to learn why things are the way they are.

I am contemplating a career in engineering but I am not sure if that will be right for me. I still have a lot of growing up to do before I will to know what I want. A career goal of mine is to be successful and make good money, but not to sacrifice my quality of life. We are only here for a short time and I think we should enjoy it.

I have been employed various places including USF and Sunrise Home. Sunrise Home is a furniture store where I work Saturdays and various day of the week. I mostly haul furniture around and keep the place looking nice. I also work as a landscaper in the summers with the help of my dad. We have done numerous jobs, many of which incorporate ponds. I am a hard worker who completes tasks quickly and efficiently. I can do things with minimal instruction. My main strength is quantity and not quality. I enjoy landscaping because it is good honest money, keeps me in shape and pays great. I would not mind owning my own landscaping business and there is defiantly a great demand for it. But I am not sure if I would like to do that for the rest of my life. A considerable weakness of mine is my inability to work with other people, I become frustrated and irritated. I am trying to better myself in this area because I realize it is a very important skill.

I took Survey of Engineering Academy because I have an interest in engineering as a career and I would like to explore that further. The hands on approach of learning in this class is appealing to me as well. I like using my hands and building things. I have always been curious about how things work and why things are the way they are.