The College Kid – Reckless or Wreckless

One has come a long way since walking into a school environment for the first time by the moment one realizes we are quite a way into the University/College phase. The mental fluctuations one has gone through in making choices until now seem to have paid off, stability starts to appear, new avenues start to open up, confidence starts to grow with every passing moment, anger and angst seem to be unnecessary most of the time, appreciation of our actions seem to reach us effortlessly, and yet the human satiation for more drives us towards greed. Certain relationships formed for no reason during our early school life seem to hold more value now, and certain relationships that have been resurfacing seem to be more necessary than ever before to tread on. Building up of a support system is the most important aspect of this phase. “Why?”, one might ask. Simple answer: The most pressure free time after Primary school is available, and resources are lying around to be discovered and explored.

After we are through the thrills of entering university in the Transition phase, a comparatively sedate time lay ahead of one. That said, obstacles will come without warning and leave little time for a preparation, and sometimes could demand immediate actions. Redundancy planning is necessary to ensure fallbacks exist. Focus must be more towards the floor below us rather than the open skies above us.

Identify

• Windows to relax – Relaxation is as necessary as hustling. Many of us often underestimate the benefits of a well rested body and mind by thinking when we are in the groove and we love something we do, we can never burn out. Unfortunately, that is not true, and there is the same possibility of a burn-out as in the case of hustling with something one does not like. For example, imagine yourself doing some research on a topic, you keep fumbling across new concepts, keep learning new things, and this keeps going on for 20 days at a stretch including weekends. On the 21st day, you discover that something you incrementally changed on the 15th day with your experiment was wrong. Without rest, the human mind triggers an action along with an emotion including an that could lead to anger and angst. With anger, one can destroy more than can be created. At the same time, if you had rested properly in a periodic manner, giving your mind some time to relax outside the topic, and focussed back at the start of the week, there are more chances that one could have caught the mistake sooner than one would without proper rest. One’s awareness increases multi-folds with proper rest
• Avenues to expand – As one matures with time, more understanding of the topics emerge with the passing minute, and this phase gives ample opportunity to diversify and expand one’s favourite avenues. Diversifying need not be completely alien streams, but can be a specific branch within an area of interest. For example, AI or ML within Computer Science (although there are special streams for these two avenues in themselves), Electronics or Transmissions or Lubricating Fluids or Propulsion Technologies within Automobile/Mechanical Engineering, etc.
• Avenues to specialize – As a follow-up to the avenues we try to expand into, there is also a quiescent yet quintessential aspect to focus on to distinguish oneself from others; this is the option to specialize in one stream. Although on a macroscopic level this narrows down the avenues available for exploring opportunities, on the micro level, it opens up a plethora of less-explored paths to tread. Upon careful examination, and consultation with the Mentor you work with
• Gaps in logical thinking – Logical thinking will form the basis going forward, and quite crucial to the possible trajectories it opens up for one’s career. A lack of logical thinking can be made up with strength in another area, but a strong logical thinking ability will allow one to concentrate on other areas to strengthen and build one’s repertoire in a much bigger way

Do

• Build Your Own Brand – Building your own brand is very important to stand out in a crowd. One may not recognize the number of people trying for the same thing, but you can never go wrong by establishing your own brand of approaching situations and execution skills. You may not see visible progress in this phase as this is quite a latent aspect, but events display the presence of a commendable branding occasionally through appreciation from professors or mentors
• Build Integrity – An area that many misinterpret is ‘Integrity’. Honesty is not always the same as having integrity. Doing the right thing also when nobody is looking is Integrity. Staying true to the values at all times is a very important building block of a strong character
• Build Communication Skills – Being aware of what one is doing is good. What’s better is that when one is able to communicate this to others in a effective manner. Communication skills are not quite part of the areas academic institutions focus on. One can build communication abilities that would be one of the biggest differentiators, and provide a lovely platform to enter the stages that follow
• Stay Alert – Stay alert and keep your eyes and ears open to sense any opportunities coming your way based on your reputation or branding. At times this could also be counter-productive to your overall goals/visions, make sure to evaluate such opportunities quickly and efficiently before proceeding forward. As the famous saying goes, “Opportunity knocks only once.”

Do not do

• Take Shortcuts – Shortcuts appear at will in this phase, some of them seem very very alluring, and much easier compared to the actual route. However, beware that such easy shortcuts offer equally risks later on in life. A moment that is about to turn into a momentous moment in your life for all the right reasons could turn out to be one for all the wrong reasons with revelations. Beware, Be aware
• Falsify Records / Achievements – Quite similar to shortcuts are opportunities to falsify records by supplementing actual achievements with some that you were a mere spectator. Overseeing someone’s achievements or supporting someone achieve something does not necessarily entitle you to claim to have been part of those achievements themselves. However, these could be part of skills and value you could add to someone in the future
• Overthink & Overcomplicate – Certain situations might seem too simple to navigate and due to the inertia of thought, one tends to think that there must be something more complicated behind, and exploration activities start. Sometimes, situations are just that, plain simple. Do not overcomplicate such situations and accept that these are rewards for your hardwork and preparation thus far

Steadying the ship when you are pursuing your professional degree or specialisation course is often a privelege that is overlooked and underestimated. Enjoy the phase where you have time at your own wrists, you can choose to waste it or use it in the right way. I do not promote running behind goals for 24×7, but I advocate the individual to plan better, in a way that you have your bases sorted, and carry out activities at your own discretion and with your own rules. Yes, there will be the occasional, random event that will pop out without warning. But, it is much easier to navigate such situations when you are well-planned and are not hurried already with another activity. At this phase, the dough is well prepared, in an acceptable quantity and ready to be tested.

SanKom will be back with more for the subsequent stages. Hope that you liked this column. If you liked it, leave a comment below. If you did not like it, also leave a comment below and let us know what we could do better; we are open to learning the same way you were when you started to read the column…..

And on that note,

Stay Healthy, Stay Hydrated, Stay Safe, and Stay Motivated.

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