And here we are! The last post of 2022, and Iām officially halfway through my degree! Itās fair to say this year hasnāt been all rainbows and butterflies, but itās been one hell of a ride.Ā
Because I have no idea what to talk about, hereās a few life/uni tips from a dummy (me!) that I would give to a younger dummy (younger me!) whoās learnt a lot in the past couple of years:
- Caffeine is not a substitute for sleep! I do thoroughly enjoy chugging my morning, afternoon and evening coffees, but itās most effective in conjunction with proper rest. Sure, you can go a day or two without – but if you keep up bad habits long term, it can really hit later in the semester.Ā
- Do something outside of your degree! Whether you want to dive into some clubs, get active, build something, take on a leadership role, volunteer, explore and try new things – pursue it! It also helps to fluff out your CV, be a topic of conversation in an interview or a shared interest with friends, and adds a little variety to your life.Ā
- Avoid being a hermit. Speaking as someone who is an introvert by nature and needs the alone time to recharge; itās good to know where your limits are and whatās best for you. On the other hand however, it can be detrimental to isolate yourself for too long. Sure, sometimes you gotta sit in a quiet space and get cracking (or procrastinate), but be sure to surround yourself with people that care and will support you. (Iāll support you! Come vent to me and Iāll cry with you!)
- To follow up the previous one – hit up a social event every once in a while! Donāt skip it because āyou could be studyingā – I canāt count the number of times Iāve skipped an event because Iāve had things to do, then spent that time procrastinating and moping around. In hindsight, I was better off just going and having a good time. Reward yourself once in a while, even if you feel like you donāt deserve it (you do!).
- Canāt watch lecture recordings for the life of you? Me too! If thereās one thing I did consistently this year, it was turning up to lectures. Thatās the biggest lesson that stuck with me from Part I – although lockdown was partially at fault, my inability to watch recordings meant lectures stacked up to a ridiculous extent. Itās very easy to fall into the trap of letting yourself fall further and further behind, but you wonāt have this issue if you donāt let yourself get behind to start with! Even if you only take in 5% of whatās being said, at least you know what you missed and can come back to it if you need.Ā
- Burnout is very real! Iām still learning where my limits are, and this year I definitely exceeded them. Some days youāll be absolutely crushing it, while others you might seriously be considering dropping out of engineering. Donāt fret, it happens to all of us! As a lecturer of mine once said: āif youāre not struggling, youāre not learning.ā Learn to embrace the struggle, surround yourself with your peers, and seek help when you need it. Look after yourself and look out for your friends, because sometimes complaining about your degree is the best medicine.Ā
And here we are, at the end of the line as your Part II blogger! Itās been a huge pleasure to write out my ramblings and tidbits of advice for you, and I hope youāve gained something valuable from it (or at the very least, made you laugh).Ā
This may be the end of my blogging journey, but that doesnāt mean you canāt pester me with questions! Engineering is a lifelong journey, and Iād love to keep in touch. Add me on LinkedIn, send me an email (stod140), find and flick me on Messenger, Discord, etc.Ā
Iām always down for a chat (especially if thereās coffee involved! Iāll shout š) so come say hi whenever youāve got a minute.Ā
Thanks for sticking through this journey with me!
Over and out,
SarinaĀ ā