Exploring New Options In College
Basic Mindset of College Students
Once most students are in college and they get into the stream they like, their mind usually becomes single-tracked. Initially, it was the same for me. It was like, now that I have got into the Computer Science stream, I just have to study what college teaches me, get good GPAs and finally land a job with a good package.
What Most Don’t Realise?
What most students don’t realise is that 1st year in college is the time where more options can be explored. During the first year, you usually have a lot of time apart from college lectures and studying for exams. Most students spend this time wasting, very few utilise this time. This extra time is what one can utilise to enhance existing skills or develop new skills.
The initial 2 months of my first year, as it was online college, even I did not utilise it much. I spent it travelling, bingeing, going out with friends, etc. But later on, when I realised that I was wasting my time, I started to explore different online platforms like Canva, Figma and learnt new skills such as managing commercial social media, social media marketing and services like AWS Cloud.
Often we think that college life is about having lots of fun. But, it’s not just that. Apart from making new friends, hanging out and having fun, parties, etc. It’s also about learning new skills and enhancing the previous ones.
Also, it’s not just about getting good GPAs. Good GPAs are needed, but just GPAs aren’t enough. Good skills are also necessary. GPAs are just like gate passes, it helps you get in for an interview maybe. But after that, it’s pretty much on what skills you have.
So, try to focus on your additional skills as well. Just studying all the time or having fun all the time, won’t help your career. Additional skills always come in handy. These skills may become your hobbies too later on. They help you cool off from the college pressure and at same time, you learn something new.
It’s a saying, “Learning never stops”, so keep learning and keep developing.
Where to Start?
Now, there are several students who want to do something apart from what’s being taught in college, but they are confused about where to start from. There are many skills out there, but you may not like them all. So, for starters, just give it a try on whatever comes to your mind, like video editing, maybe comedy, writing poems, etc. Try to find out what you are interested in. Once you find that, start working on it.
After a period of time, try to find a new skill and start working on that. Also, try participating in college events and be a part of at least one club. The clubs help you groom professionally. It gives you an insight on how things work. Join the club and the team in the club you are actually interested in. This way, you’ll enjoy the club activities and gain a lot of knowledge.
Internships
It is not necessary to take up an internship in the first year itself, but if you do, it’s good for you. Don’t bother much about paid internships or rejections. You may not get in the first internship you apply for.
Just remember one thing, internships are not about earning a stipend, it’s about learning and applying skills in the real world. You may know how to program, but an internship will teach you where to apply your programming skill. So, don’t bring this thought to your mind, that I will not do unpaid internships.
Internships also help you build new connections, linking you to people in the corporate world, who you don’t know when, but they might help you out when you need.
I’ll tell you about my first internship. There was an online event held by a startup, and I applied for an internship through the link they shared. I was hired as a Social Media Manager. That’s when my editing skills, content writing skills and Canva skills came to practical usage.
To conclude, don’t restrict yourself to just theory knowledge in college. Grab every opportunity you get, keep exploring and learning new skills and never stop learning.
