Advice for my younger self

I can't believe it's taken me this long to finally write this post. The topic has been on my mind since last year...to be honest I don't know what was hindering me from doing this - but, here is it. Today's post will mainly be focused on lessons I have learnt from my university experience. I have learnt so much about what I should and could have done better from my two experiences of university. I always ask myself; WHY DIDN'T I LEARN from the first one in the first place? But I have definitely learnt my lesson now, maybe I'll get to have a third experience in the future!? Hmmm. Hopefully.   Thank you for visiting today, if you intend to keep reading you are in for a treat. Don't forget to SHARE, SUSCRIBE and COMMENT. I have so much to cover today that I'll have to break it down into bullet points to get my points across easier. To be honest, the first lesson I learnt is to actually have had an intention for going to university. In my case, I felt that I did have a purpose but it wasn't strong enough to last 3 years as I forgot my intention for choosing the course and the university after my first week. I hardly imagined a future as a website designer or graphic designer. To make matters worse, I didn't enjoy lectures and wasn't understanding the module contents, both the theory and practical aspects of it. So here is Lesson 1

• You must have a strong conviction/belief about the course you intend to study at university

If you don't have one then maybe you are not quite ready to commit to university yet. Young people like us, have constantly changing ambitions and agendas. The next lesson tells you what to do in that case. Lesson 2

• Take time out to seek out your purpose

It's okay to take a year out, aka Gap year before going to university. A gap year is often a good time to discover more about yourself, do something you love, get a job and save up before you go to uni. During that 'pre-university' break, take time out to do some soul-searching. Set-aside time - a good couple of weeks to a month to research the courses you are interested in,  related courses and career paths. Back in the day, there used to be a career guidance agency called connexions. They delivered talks and were open to give guidance and advice to secondary school and college students. Most of these type of agencies exist, although they are mostly online. Once you have done this and are fully content with your choice, you can have your pick of universities. Lesson 3

• The career choice must be your decision

I am grateful that my first (and second) course at university was my decision. Most people are born with a life plan already crafted out for them by parents or the family they come from. All the same, some families just have a specific professional field they all enter into and it works out for them very well. But please don't be afraid to go for what you are interested in. Make sure ... Lesson 4

• You do a lot of research into the career options, salary, different positions and titles, the diverse fields you can work in and how to gain experience.

A job agency site, university course information or careers advice information panels are very good sources for this. Don't just look at one website - research from A LOT of websites. One website will fill the gaps that the other did not cover. You can never be over-informed when it comes to planning your future. I am writing this so you do not end up like this ...

If you did take a gap year before Uni, then make the most of it by actually gaining experience in the field that you want to work in. Get a paid job or volunteer. Get as close as you can to see how things work in that role or in such organisations. For instance, if you want to be a doctor/nurse then try finding a volunteer role in a hospital, maybe at the reception or help out when hospitals have fundraising events. Some roles are a bit tough to volunteer in, for instance, a stock broker or investment banker. But I am convinced that if you look broadly, you'll find something out there. Before I forget, Thank God for the National Citizen Service (NCS), in brief, it offers 15-17 year olds exciting volunteering and employment opportunities to help build life and employability skills and confidence. Here's the link. There are a wide range of such programmes but you'll find them when you embark on your 'research'. Lesson 5

• Network Network Network!!!

You'll meet people along the way. Don't be shy to ask professionals when they speak at your school or college for their contact information because you would like to know more about that subject/career. If you have family members and friends of family members that work in the fields you admire then get their details and ask for internship or volunteer opportunities. Also, attend career events and speak to other young people. Make new acquaintances! Lesson 6

• Study abroad if you can

I heard a family friend talk about doing her bachelor's in the United States and I was thinking...what a brillant idea! Why didn't I think of that too? Fortunately, some courses will offer the opportunity to do a semester at their sister/partner university abroad. If you have the funds and like the idea of that, Go for it! There is nothing to lose, and everything to gain. I'm talking about hard skills, soft skills, life skills and vital life experience here. Lesson 7

• Aim high and study harder

This one is for me, but you can take this advice as well. Since we worked so hard to get to university...yes, nursery, primary, secondary, sixth form, SATs, GCSEs, A levels and finally a banging personal statement to get here. Phewww! Why don't we aim to get the first class degree and actually use our time wisely to get that result. In my case, I used my time very wisely. I practically lived in the library and I did put in some, but I was scared that my efforts would not even pay off if I tried my best so I did not stretch myself. I regret not attaining A grades for the amount of time and creativity I put into my work. I should have been more proactive and found my way of working rather than compare my work to others. Lesson 8

• Find your own rhythm and method of learning

  Lesson 9

• In relation to courses, it is okay to choose a broad subject field like geography, humanities, social sciences, etc

Don't get me wrong, I mean it is okay; like most degree courses you'll be able to choose the modules you will specialise in during the second or three year. Be careful though, studying an entire field is not for the faint-hearted. Get ready to be confused most of the time and to do a whole lot of reading. I said this because sometimes we can be torn between different courses and would like to be given the option of trying before picking. It also has the added advantage of making you a good candidate for most roles as you'll have knowledge of a number of sectors or industries.   Lesson 10

• Pick your modules wisely

In fact, how I wish I picked the governance, policy analysis, project management and quantitative research methods modules. I didn't know most of the graduate roles required some knowledge of these until I started job-hunting after graduation. I cannot iterate enough that you must thoroughly research on your chosen career. Go onjob websites and look at the job profiles for various titles, especially entry level and graduate roles. Do this before choosing your course and the university. Scrutinize the course content on each university's prospectus or website.   Some final words from me. When I finally decided what I wanted, I used these websites to guide me;

• Open University (Scroll down to the Discover your subject area, click on your field of choice)
• Prospects | What can I do with my degree
• UCAS, choosing a course

I didn't need much convincing after I discovered my dream career after completing my bachelors' degree which is why I only used three websites. Life before and after university is very important and we must be as careful as we can, because time wasted, can't be taken back. University fees are very expensive and you don't want to go into university and feel like you are in the wrong course. That time cannot be taken back and at the end of the day, you'll still have to pay the fees for it. It's a long process undoing what you have done.I only found out what I wanted as a career in 2012, the year I had finished a bachelors' degree. I discovered my passion at 21 during the long summer holidays before graduation but if I had taken time out before, I would have found something close or at least gained some experience through employment. I would like you all to share this article with friends and family especially those in their mid to late teens thinking of going to university. Share, comment and suscribe! This Bible verse says it all for me:

Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. 

                                                                                                        Psalms 90:12 (HCSB) Psst...Just before I leave...

Today is our FIRST ANNIVERSARY! hip hip ...hooray!! And the 25th blog article

Join me to blow out the candles Till next time, Claudy xoxo