Hi friends and family. How have you been? Are you still following your new years' resolutions(if you made any)? Listen, someone has to do that accountability check, so let me take that role. I'll try to slip this in every month to hold you accountable for your words, and you better answer yourself.
Now that I am out of college, I decided to share some lessons from my college experience that can hopefully help someone in their career one day. Without further ado, let's jump into it ✨
1. Discipline Is The Key To Success
If I can give you one most important piece of advice from my experience, it will be discipline. Not just the word, but the act of it. If you plan to do something, have the discipline to get it done. So many students are reckless and procrastinate till the end. In my case, this has never worked. I did meet some people who said they worked better under pressure or with a deadline. For me, I just ended up stressing out, and my brain usually freezes in those scenarios. If crunching and pulling overnighters works for you and gets you the grade you need, good for you. But if you are someone like me, trying to become a better person overall and not just waste the four years of your life trying to make it through school, then take action and start early. Cut your distractions and start on your assignments as soon as possible. You never know what might come up at the very last minute.
2. Network Network Network
This was a very late lesson for me, and if I could go back to college and fix one thing, it would be my ability to network. There should be more emphasis on this in college, especially for computer science students. Many of these students spend their free time gaming and class time in front of their computers. I understand the awkwardness of initiating a conversation, but there is so much to learn once you're past that point. During my last semester of college, I decided not to care about being the "weird one" and talked to many people. Some became great friends, while others just helped me pass my classes.
Hell, I even got my second internship just because of the power of networking. I knew I wasn't good at programming, so I started to spam recruiters, and after a lot of conversations, I ended up with interviews from top companies in tech. So, don't miss out and talk to everyone you meet.
3. Start On Your Finances Early
I honestly did what I could for my finances, but I could have done more. By starting early on your finances, I mean that start building your credit history. Get a good credit card and put all your spendings on it. Pay it off every month and watch your credit history glow by the time you're out of college. Don't wait to get out of college. This way, you can get a head start on things and increase your approval rates. Look into different business ideas as well. Invest extra income into stocks, ETFs, and crypto. Don't waste your time getting drunk and going to parties. Sure, you can have a good time at the moment, but the following day will always begin with a headache and regret. The power of compounding is heavily underrated.
4. Be Flexible
I used to have a hard-headed and rigid personality. This stressed me out all the time. If things didn't go my way exactly, I would throw a fit to myself. It was frustrating because life is not predictable. Anything can happen at any time, and as humans, we need to be prepared for the worst. My way to deal with stress was to take a nap, and I immediately felt better afterward. One day, I was tired of this attitude and decided to change it. I learned to go with the flow and tackle problems as they approached me. Overplanning was overthinking, so I tried different techniques, including meditation which helped me become more flexible in general. The change was so huge that my employer and my family noticed it at the time. I have felt much more at peace since then.
Conclusion
Don't wait for a sign. If you like someone, talk to them; if you like something, research it and take action. If you want to become like someone, take steps to become like them. Afraid of something? Go force yourself to try it. While college is a time to try new things and have fun, don't take the time for granted. Follow your passions and stay away from negative people. I wish you good luck ✨
Till then, peace ✌🏼
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