Here at Warwick I often get the shameful feeling of unproductiveness. Spending a lot of time with ambitious, driven people, continuously enriching their CVs for desired internships, I sometimes wonder if I am doing something wrong. Instead of joining a career-oriented society, I attend the 5th hour of choir rehearsal. Instead of focusing on some serious topic, I scroll through different food blogs. Instead of working on a project, which could make me a desirable employee, I do a long research on the essay topic, which genuinely interests me. And sometimes I feel incredibly guilty about it.
Had I been the only one having these feelings, I would probably think that this is only my inner fear of competition showing itself, making me cringe at the real career plans and responsibilities. Having talked with my girlfriends on campus, I know, however, that I’m not the only one struggling to find themselves among loads of ambition-driven people. Because, let’s face it, Warwick is a career oriented university. With its world famous business school, amazing internship opportunities and business partnerships, it attracts a lot of students who are willing to go out, change the world or become billionaires. Warwick’s entrepreneurial opportunities are indeed outstanding. Instead of providing its students with academic education only, the university continuously allows us to reach for the practical career experience. Arriving here as a fresher, however, you can quickly get overwhelmed by all of these opportunities offered by the ‘big world’ which is somewhere ‘out there, just 3 or 4 years from now, 2 or 3 internships later. It’s also easy to forget that you are, well, a fresher. Most probably a 17-20-year old student, who just got out of high school and is still getting an idea about what they want to do with their life. Someone, who is, (most probably), tax-free, children-free, mortgage-free, and young enough to still explore the enjoyable, ‘useless’ parts of life.
Don’t get me wrong. I do not mean that people, who are focused on their future career, resign themselves of simple pleasures. Most of us, no matter of our interests and ambitions, have fun nights in clubs, go out with our friends or simply binge watch Netflix. I do not also deny the fact, that internships in companies broaden your outlook on yourself and the world and I do not say that there are no people who genuinely enjoy the race for internships and future jobs. My point is only that in this career-oriented community we might overlook the fact, that the most popular idea about future might not be the right way for everyone. I know, it’s an obvious statement. But seeing how students other than myself sometimes stress out about our futures and careers made me realize, how this obvious truth is often suppressed.
It’s easy to forget that it is perfectly normal to be a youngster who still finds consulting and business boring and, for now, does not want to put on a suit to work. It’s easy to forget, that not focusing on your career during your undergraduate degree for the sake of arts, sports or intellectual passions, does not equal wasting your university time. When I stop stressing out about my poor CV, I realize that engaging in these ‘pointless’ activities is something that I want to do at the moment. It is also something continuously helps me get an idea about what I want to, or do not want to, do in the future. And, after all, it is better to get this idea now, than at the time when I would be actually ‘out there’, just 3 or 4 years from now, 2 or 3 internships later, questioning and not remembering why I started the career in the first place.