I remember dreaming about the day I would be in high school, in college, and now today - being a college graduate. It's crazy to think about how much my life has changed since starting at Southern Utah University fall of 2020. I started as a Business Management major, added a Graphic Design Minor & double major in Marketing, dropped my Management major, and then dropped my minor to take Communication classes! I also got married, made and lost new friends, moved to online school, and tried so many different extracurriculars. It's been a crazy few years, but I am so grateful for all that I've learned because of it - both in the classroom and out.
I thought it would be fun to reflect on some of the things college taught me (besides marketing;)) and so I've made a list of 13 lessons that I've learned over the past 3 and a half years:
Go After What You Want -- One of the things I am most proud of myself for is not waiting until I was an upper-classman to start pursuing marketing jobs and experiences. It didn't start out very intentional (I was looking at campus jobs as an incoming freshman, and the only ones that sounded interesting were related to marketing in some way) but I am so glad it worked out that way because it set a good course for the rest of my college years. After a summer internship, I decided I wanted to maybe work for a salon doing marketing and so I reached out to all the local salons asking if they were looking for someone to do marketing. None worked out, but when I told a coworker at my internship about it, she happened to know someone with a boutique looking for someone and I was able to work there for a year! Some things worked out, some didn't, but I am so glad that I learned to put myself out there and just go for it!
You Need To Make Time for Your Hobbies -- Freshman year I got burnt out. I was living somewhere new, away from everyone and everything I knew, I didn't have a car, and I didn't know how to incorporate any of my hobbies into my life. In high school, I had a good balance of piano lessons, being on the lacrosse team, and time for lots of art! I decided to add a Graphic Design minor and took some PE classes. These provided a good outlet for me as I adjusted to my new life and while it's something I'll probably always be working on, it really forced me to learn how important balance is in life.
Know When to Quit - And Don't Put That Off -- There were a few times in college where I committed to things where I didn't realize what I was getting into and regretted committing to them. However, I was scared to quit because I didn't want to be seen as flakey or a quitter. By putting it off, I created a self-fulfilling prophecy where I was flakey/checked-out because I wasn't as committed. Now I know better how to evaluate if something is a good fit before I commit and to have the courage to get out sooner rather than later if something isn't right. I had to learn to be selective with my 'yeses'. I have a bad habit of overcommitting, and college has helped me learn that honestly, simplicity is the way to go.
Experiment! This is the Time to Try New Things -- One thing that I am constantly working on is shifting from an all-or-nothing mindset. I've felt embarrassed switching up my plans because I dream big and tell everyone about it. However, something my now-husband has helped me learn is that college and your 20's are for experimenting. Yeah it's cool if you have it figured out, but also, while it may feel like there's pressure to have it all figured out, there's really not. Even though a lot of my experiences may seem a bit cohesive, I've still had fun trying new things and cutting myself slack for projects that might not work out.
Don't Feel Guilty Changing Up Your Plans -- Going along with the previous lesson, one thing college taught me is to not feel guilty changing up your plans! It's your life and while people may have opinions (some helpful... others not so much), it truly is up to you and this is the time to figure out your 'thing', so don't worry about making course corrections!
Some Friends Aren't Forever Friends -- This one has been and is a hard one for me to learn, but going into college, I had no idea that I would learn this lesson. If I had my way, I'd be friends with everyone I've ever met and then we'd stay friends for ever. Not all friends can be best friends, and sometimes friends go from being best friends to strangers. And that's just life. It doesn't make the time as friends any less valuable and I'm grateful for all the people I've been able to meet and associate with.
Online Classes/Work Isn't Too Bad... -- I also thought that working and doing online sounded very boring and not actually productive. But after doing 3 semesters online and working remotely, I've realized there are a lot of benefits and how awesome it is that these opportunities are much more available to people! The flexibility of having parts of my college experience online has really made me appreciate the options we now have.
But I Definitely Prefer In-Person -- However, I am an extravert and so I've had to learn that I need balance! Going forward, I would love to lean more towards working in an office. What can I say, I need a lot of human interaction! (I'm sure having 8 siblings has something to do with this!). Knowing my preferences and how to stay organized in each type of setting is something I'm very grateful for being able to learn while in school.
It Pays Off To Do the Readings -- Studying is not my favorite past time. But I've realized I actually don't mind doing the readings. And thankfully, figuring this out really helped me the second half of my college career. Reading the assigned readings before class helped me to understand the content better. When studying for tests with friends who hadn't done the readings, it was nice to be able to know a lot more what was going on. This is a skill I'm glad I've developed and hopefully I can incorporate this into my career as well!
And Do Assignments Early -- A bad habit that I developed in high school that followed me to college was procrastinating. Some years have been better than others, but my sophomore year of college, I decided I was sick of putting myself in these situations for no reason and being stressed and so I prioritized being a head - and oh boy, am I grateful that I decided to do that! Even though I didn't always do things 'early', it is now one of my favorite things to be ahead. The freedom and sense of accomplishment that comes with it (at least for me) can't be beat.
There Isn't Time to Do Everything -- In a perfect world, I would have enough time to learn about and do everything that interests me. I've always been someone with a lot of ideas and paths I want to explore, but something I learned in college was that, unfortunately, there isn't time to do it all. Instead of letting myself get spread too thin, I've learned that I have to make the hard decision sometimes to pick, but life is long so I don't need to stress myself out over experiencing and learning everything I can now. College is just the beginning of your adult life, not the end.
It's Okay to Not Have Every Detail Figured Out Even When You're Graduating -- Before my last semester of college, I've always seemed to have some kind of genius, fool-proof plan for post-graduation. But as my graduation neared, I realized while I did have some direction, I still didn't feel all the way ready. And that's okay and completely normal. Everyone is just figuring it out as they go.
Never Stop Learning -- One final thing that my time in college taught me is to never stop learning. I love learning and was honestly sad to think about this chapter ending for me. But one great thing that college prepared me for was a whole life of learning. I can't wait to explore more into marketing, into environmentalism, into fashion, food, finance, and whatever else I become curious about! My education and learning doesn't have to end with school, but I am so grateful for all the lessons that it taught me, and everything else that is to come.
Comments