‘You are half way through your time at university, so you should be aware by now which organizations and work places you want to apply for in about a years time.’
I do not think it was my tutors intention to scare us all about the big, wide world out there, but as I look around the room there is just the word “PANIC” written on most faces.
How many times have we heard that what we have to offer in life is enough, and that at the right time we will meet the right people and everything will turn out to be awesome.
As I have to write what feels like the 15000th essay this week, and painstakingly try to avoid the fact that I still have to finish the work experience applications for the summer, I just sit there in a moment of despair, asking myself if this whole university situation is actually really worth it?
Back in school they made it very clear, that even though there are other options, going to university is actually the only way to get a well-paid job.
However, reality shows that having a degree does not guarantee you a job, and that at times an apprentice earns more than a university graduate.
Going down the path of self-pity, I start thinking about that car sales man I talked to, who did not really see the point of going to university, since he found out pretty early that he is an absolute legend when it comes to sales and now has a better wage than most of my friends with a masters degree.
Continuing that line of thought, I start to compare myself to all the amazing Michelangelo’s of the journalism world out there, who most likely do not even have these thoughts because they are just too creative and so expressive, that all the newspapers of the country scream “pick me” rather than the other way around.
Being a total misery by now, I remind myself of a New Year’s resolution that I made for 2016, knowing that I will probably end up in the pit of total hysteria, once the time has come to send out the work experience letters.
While everyone promises themselves to get ready for that summer body now and not just three weeks before going on holidays, I decided to stop making myself weary with comparison.
I realized, that when we compare ourselves to the people around us, it does not only cancel our ability to celebrate others, but it also hinders us to see our very own individuality.
How am I supposed to find out what I am really good at, or even not so good at, when I aspire to write, talk or behave like someone else the entire time?
Of course comparison is not just bad. If applied wisely, it can inspire and encourage people to keep pursuing a dream or lifestyle.
However, I believe that all of us eventually come to the conclusion that comparison based on performance is the biggest killer of any self-confidence and simply a waste of time.
Following the words of Ralph Emerson, who said that “what lies behind you and lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you”, it is not so much my environment that determines if I will do great in life or not, but rather my perception of myself.
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