There are certain pivotal moments in our life when the possibility of a dream coming true presents itself. It would be so much easier to fully realize the significance of these particular moments if certain signs or signals were also provided. For instance, the sound of celestial music, a heavenly light illuminating the scene, my fairy godmother appearing, or even an angel disguised as a stranger showing up to slap me upside the head and say, “pay attention dummy”.

Unfortunately, without these clear indications I find myself too often recognizing the moment long after the opportunity has passed.

This is the story of one of those moments. It was during my second college degree program in computer science that I received an invitation to attend a presentation by a research scientist from GE Space Systems. It was an informal gathering with about 20 students in attendance. After describing some of the projects the scientist worked on at GE he mentioned that they were currently struggling to get their robotic vision systems to recognize depth perception.

My pivotal moment had arrived. I knew the solution. But first, a little background information.

I had graduated three years earlier with a BA in Psychology. After a six month internship I decided a career in psychology wasn’t for me. I enjoyed the study of it, but encountered overwhelming frustration in the work. Computer programming sounded like an interesting topic and, as I quickly discovered, I was quite adept at it.

On the surface programming may appear to be on the opposite side of the world from psychology, but not for me. Putting so much energy and effort into assisting a person in overcoming a psychological affliction and then watching them fall back into the same condition was more than I could handle. But the computer was different. I could tell it what I wanted it to do and it did it, exactly as I specified. The computer, I realized, was my ideal patient.

And that was how we worked together. I put myself into the mind of the machine and elevated it to new heights of achievement with the language of software. We were a magical alliance and I loved every bit of it. Now I was attending college for a degree so I could begin to earn a living writing computer programs.

At the time of this meeting with the GE scientist, I was working a full-time job in finance (I won’t even try to explain the convoluted thinking that got me into that situation), a part-time job on weekends at a television repair shop, going to school half-time in the evenings, and reading everything I could find on robotics and artificial intelligence.

I had dreamed of working on the cutting edge of computer science and robotics. And here was my opportunity to open that door, to form an association with someone on the inside, perhaps to obtain my first position in programming. I knew the answer he was seeking from my psychology coursework on human visual perception.

But I choked. I just sat there, saying nothing, doing nothing. And the moment was soon behind me.

When you happen to find yourself at the apex of your own pivotal moment, when the question has been asked for which you have the answer, please find the courage to open your mouth and speak. Don’t fade into the shadows or shrink from the spotlight. Stand up. Be bold. And answer the damn question!