Reflections of a fresh graduate, soon-to-be working adult
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own personal opinion and do not represent any other parties/organizations I represent for
June 2022. This will definitely be an unforgettable month for me and all of my peers out there. This month marks the end of all our arduous and heart-breaking 10+ years of journey in education. HURRAY!!
At the same time, this month also symbolizes the start of another chapter. A chapter of unknowns and a new chapter that is waiting for us to explore. This might be a very cliché introduction but I am certain that’s what all the fresh graduates out there are thinking.
Looking back at the last 4 years of university education, I decided it’s a good time to pen down my thoughts of my experience and my takeaways from university life.
Takeaways from University Life
As they all say, we can only choose between having social life, enough sleep and good grades, university life is not all that smooth-sailing for me.
Especially, since I am a struggling student studying the the ever-competitive faculty of Computing. I would say that this faculty is filled mad geniuses and being one of the “not so smart ones”, I went through a lot of ups and downs (both academically and in my personal life). Nevertheless, there were a few takeaways from my short 4 years of university education
Learning to be thick-skinned a.k.a fighting for what you want
This definitely doesn’t mean that you should be a shameless asshole and resort to underhand means to achieve your objectives. NO, I AM NOT ENCOURAGING THAT!!
Rather, what this means is to learn that your pride is worth NOTHING. Sometimes, opportunities come when we start to bow down to others. Sometimes, we need to really understand bowing down to other is not a symbol of weakness but rather a sign that we know where we stand and we are willing to learn humbly from others.
This also means to cast aside all our self-doubts and start to take actions towards our objectives. “GOT AN INTERNSHIP THAT YOU COVET BUT DON’T DARE TO APPLY FOR?” Think no further!! Just apply for it!! Even if you do not get the internship at the end of the day, it does not hurt to just send in your application letter. What’s more, you might be able to discover your weak points from the interview and can work to cover those gaps to do better next time. Treat each and every of the opportunity as a learning experience and not a hurdle or a difficulty to be overcome!
Of course, this does not mean that we should be sitting around idly and wait for results to come! We should still work hard towards our goals!
There are a lot more to academic results alone
I know that this is a very cliché phrase and everyone has been saying all along, but the truth is that the world is so big and there are really a lot of things that are more important than just academic results alone.
Things such as family… Unfortunately, I only managed to understand the importance of it after losing a loved one. I used to think that academic results are much much much more important and neglected my loved ones a lot. It was only on his/her deathbed that I realized that I have missed out a lot on his life.
Times when he/she wanted to talk to me but was afraid to disturb me because I was studying etc., and the list goes on. It was only then I realized that I have become overly-focused on attaining academic results and neglected the people around me. So, don’t wait till you lose your loved ones before you start treasuring them. Treasure them TODAY!
Other than that, I’ve also come to realize that academic results may not be particularly important in the working world (at least that’s the case for my faculty). In the real working world, what bosses/managers look out for are the ability to adapt quickly to changes, your interpersonal skills etc. All of these are soft skills which cannot be taught in schools and can only be learnt by coming out of your comfort zone and taking on new challenges.
Conclusion
Before any of the readers start flaming my post that I must be a CAP 5.0 to be able to say such things. I would like to clarify that I am not a stellar student and my grades are fluctuating between the 3rd to 4th class range.
Moving on, now that I have officially closed the chapter in my life, I would like to focus on progressing in my next chapter in life. Nevertheless, I hope that this post can serve as a gentle reminder (to the readers and to myself in the future) about my takeaways from my 4 years in university.
“What would you say to the freshman you 4 years ago?” Some people have asked me this question repeatedly over the past few weeks. Honestly, I would have had much to say to the freshman me 4 years ago. In my own opinion, I think that everything happens for a reason and built me up to be the person that all of you have known today. While I would say that this is a journey filled with more downs than ups, I still think it was worth the trouble and heartbreaks. If I have to really find something to tell the me 4 years ago, I would go back in time to tell him “Hang on tight! Everything will eventually be alright”
Peace out, Joel
