If You Are Graduating In The Pandemic, Read This.
The scar that makes you learn about life’s nature
More than a year ago, I began to learn about letting things run its course and forgiving myself when things did not go according to my plan. Though the universe will conspire to help you achieve things in life, it must also be understood that there will be things beyond our control and no matter what it may be, life won’t go according to plan.
I was in my final year degree when it happened. It was a month before my final examination when I found myself sick and admitted to the hospital. The same night, my name was pushed for a surgery the next thing in the morning. I was alone in London, without my family, and I had to endure the phyiscal pain, distress and the emotional pain — it’s a mix of everything. More importantly, my life as I thought it would be, was ruined.I knew that I could not sit for my final exam in May and I will not be graduating on time. In that moment, it seemed that those things were a huge deal that I had forgotten the scar from the unexpected surgery I went through.
Life Lesson 101 : Things May Not Always Go Your Way
As someone with credible academic excellence that had allowed me to obtain a scholarship in studying abroad, I was not used to failure. I thought that I will always get what I want, at least things that are on paper. I thought that nothing could get in the way when I have diligence and hard work to get what I want. But, my first biggest lesson was that incident in my final year degree for me to learn life’s biggest lesson the hard way.
Life Lesson 101 : Only Control What You Can Control
There will be things within our control and there will be things beyond our control.
Luck and fate is not within the humanly equation we have, therefore we must begin with accepting that idea. However, perseverance and hard work will be helpful in increasing the chances of success. The pandemic is a perfect example of how you can’t control everything that comes with it. We have never foresee a pandemic will hit on us and had it disrupt our studies, nay, probably disrupt our graduation ceremony too.
Perhaps, too, you are worried about the job opportunities coming after your graduation. Perhaps, you are worried that your friends began to receive job offers despite the pandemic and you wondered if your turn will ever come.
Best believe in one thing : our timeline is not the same.
Indeed, it is worrying. Indeed, it may cause you unable to sleep at night. But don’t give up because you think you are not making any progress. You may stumble at times, forgive yourself on those days. But one day you need to wake up again and hit that coffee to get your life back on track.
Madness is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.
Maybe you can try to look back and think about different strategies to land that job you are dreaming for. Maybe this is the time for you to think of the non-conventional types of jobs. Maybe you can think of different career path than your degree. Maybe its time for levelling up yourself as you are applying for jobs.
Life is always a struggle. It is not its nature to make us feel convenient and give up at the first or second hurdle.
The fact that you have graduated and survived through the pandemic while doing online distance learning shows how strong and persevere you are.
Don’t beat yourself too hard.
Life Lesson 101 : You Are Your Own Enemy
Everyone has different backgrounds, different fate of their own and different strengths to leverage on their own. Acknowledging that will be a good start for you to accept that you are your own’s enemy, in that you have to compare yourself to you yesterday. If you are progressing, you are good.
What You Do Today Will Determine your 5 Years Ahead.
Just because today things don’t make any sense, one day, your struggle to improve yourself and the hardships you are enduring will finally fits the puzzle. It is to make you who you will become tomorrow.
Your up-skilling, your diligence in editing and upgrading your resumes, connecting with potential employers on LinkedIn will be helpful to you one day. Maybe you are starting a side-hustle whilst waiting for job offers to come.
If things don’t seem to add up, it’s cause it’s not going to happen overnight. Those small little efforts are building bricks to larger things in your life. You may not see the outcome now, but everything that you are doing today will determine your future in 5 years time.
It will get better, trust me. Show up for yourself.You got this.
