So you know, the butterfly effect is the idea that a small change in a system can cause large long-term changes and depending on what and when and where the small change occurs, the effects will be different?
Well I was thinking the other day about how when I was in third year, and I had to choose a supervisor for my honours project, I chose the fourth year coordinator who I had had as a lecturer and tutor and I thought would be pretty helpful. Anyway, she turned out to be all those things and as well, encouraged me to apply for a PhD scholarship instead of doing a masters which had always been my plan. As a result of this, I met a lot of people I probably would not have met, including two people who I now call very close friends who were my officemates, as I wouldn't have had an office doing a masters. I also got the scholarship which meant that I was able to afford to move out of home, meaning that my internship year, which was hellishly busy, was way more manageable than it otherwise would have been. So from that one decision, a whole lot of things happened which either would not have happened at all, or would have happened differently or at different times.
Of course now I have to actually do the PhD, which is irksome
So, my own personal butterfly effect. What's yours?