Have I just recently graduated with Honours in a degree in Information Engineering & Media? Yes.
Have I learnt anything in my 4 years there? Hmm.
Have I been unemployed since May'23? Yes.
So did I really learnt anything truly applicable in my 4 years of college? Probably not.
"Hello World."
Here's my journey as a 24 year old youngin' just trying my best not to feel like an imposter in this adult world. I assume that this predicament is relatable to someone somewhere because I don't really want to believe that I'm alone in this. And if you're reading this, well, you're not alone.
I just started my journey I would say right about now, if I squint my eyes it kind of feels like I'm on the right track, However, when things are going reallyyyyy slow it's hard to convince yourself you're doing fine.
I've always been a late bloomer at things, dare I even say bloom? I never managed to hand up my exam papers because I take too long, I thread slowly behind on chapters while the class moves on, I retook my A-levels and watched all my peers go into college while I, and I kid you not, was at a local bird park hosing shit. Honestly, I was fine with that, there was still a bliss of assurance knowing that I'll get there someday, I knew I would make it to college, and I did.
So, 4 years of assurance went by, I was still behind, albeit older than my peers now but in college it really was a life of ignorant bliss. Why think about whether I was going to be unemployed, because obviously not? And why think about whether these skills I'm learning are a bit too shallow and outdated and won't be relevant to employers? HA
Sorry, I was blabbering about my life but here's the real world after:
I applied for probably 200 jobs or more (my friends say it's low, i agree i guess) and only got about 6 interviews, all rejections
I'm working part time at a board game cafe to be happy about my hobbies but ended up making me sadder instead knowing life is unsustainable like this
watched all my older friends hit their 2 year mark working, watched my graduating peers all get jobs at their previous internships and whatnot
Rejected at a promising internship after being offered because I was too much of a people pleaser...
Watched my best friend live her dreams after getting a late term acceptance to medical school in Australia while I'm stuck here as a waitress
My girlfriend is graduating in 2 months and she might actually get a job before I do.
Not too bad honestly, 6 bullet points, let me know what you think. Maybe I'm being overdramatic.
Things are getting better.
I know I haven't touched on the developer part, there's a reason why I placed those quotation marks. Sorry if you feel baited lol. These are some of the things I did that made me feel a tad better.
Recapped on my HTML/CSS Knowledge
Accidentally paid about $150 for DataCamp (don't ask) but at least I've gotten an SQL Certification so far. Even helped some others on reddit get theirs too (not sure if they just copied my answers...)
Started practicing on leetcode... (2 questions so far, help)
Started revising my JavaScript
Scored a project with my current part time boss to develop a website for him. So I guess I can now say I'm freelancing instead of unemployed MUAHAHAHA
Um yea that's it I was hoping it'll beat the 6 bullet points above but I guess that's life yeah. Oh wait,
- Started a blog right now, today.
That's better...
You're doing fine.
That's what I want people to tell me, and what I want to tell myself and to you whoever you are. As long as you're doing something, it's commendable. Sure, it might not always be the right track and some detours will happen, but if you persevere long enough, it will be predominantly forward.