Don’t Let Your College Define Your Future
It’s been over 6 years since I completed my college. I have used these years to shape my life the way I wanted and every year has been a new experience.
Frankly, I never enjoyed my life in college. I was bullied, had very few friends and my professors had zero expectations from me. Being an introvert I always had difficulties making new connections or new friends.
The hardships in college prompted me to explore a life where I was not constantly bullied or tortured. Computers and the internet were my saviors. I started spending most of my time learning about computers and software, I was fascinated by them.
Instead of bowing down to the constant hardships in college, I made a decision of defining my future by myself and not let an institution do it for me.
College does not define your future, You do.
As a child, I had a great interest in reading. From comics to fiction novels to blogs, I would read anything I could lay my hands on. This desire to read prompted me to create content as well. I learned the craft of storytelling, which I was never taught in college. Instead, I learned them because of my interests.
The scenario was completely different in college. I was not confident about the subjects being taught in the class. My not so many friends and professors had almost no hope regarding my future. Despite all the hardships, I never allowed anyone to rule my future.
I work as a Software Developer now and my college degree has nothing to do with my profession. The engineering skills I use every day in my job were never taught in college.
Practical experience taught me that employers don’t care about their qualifications. Instead what matters to them is whether you have the ability to complete the job assigned to you.
Continue your learning curve
This is probably the most important lesson for me as a post-grad.
Your learning should not end with your college.
I was so relieved the day college ended, saying goodbye to all textbooks and lectures. Having said that, I still read countless articles on the internet every day. I complete a couple of books every month.
Reading and writing is integral part of my life now.
No, I don’t have a coach to guide me, it’s my desire to read and write every day. Self-learning is the best skill I have learned after college.
If you want to excel in your professional career, you have to stay updated with the industry standards. No matter if you are working as a software developer, a writer or are in any profession, you have to nurture the desire to learn.
Avoid Procrastination at all costs
We all remember our last-minute preparations for exams in college. Leaving everything up until the last moment. This technique does not work after college. You can get decent grades in college by procrastinating the entire time but the value of grades depreciates after that.
I realized this the hard way.
No matter if you are seeking for a job or already have one, a lack of discipline will break your life and career. You cannot afford to live your life by being lazy. As a professional, if your dream is to create a meaningful career you have to constantly work towards it.
I will agree procrastination becomes luring once you are out of college. Fewer deadlines to meet, you just need to go to the office and then you are all free.
But with this lifestyle do you think you can excel?
I don’t think so.
I used to be very lazy, back in college but when I started working as a developer, being lazy backfired. Procrastinating all my tasks to the last minute was very taxing and stressful. I was creating tight deadline situations myself with multiple all-nighters just to complete projects which should have been completed way-back.
Planning instead of procrastination will help you enjoy your life.
You may delay, but time will not.
— Benjamin Franklin
Imagine if you plan and structure your work, you can make space for all your personal endeavors or your family. You can even get time to recharge your batteries.
College teaches you a lot of things but it really prepares you for the tough life ahead. But don’t let that experience no matter how good or bad, spoil your career ahead. It is you who holds that power to make or break your career and life, not an institution.
