5 Regrets of a College Graduate

It has been a while since I graduated from college.

Though I have a few regrets from attending it, I don’t consider them troubling. After all, I consider education a good form of self-investment.

I actually like where I’m standing right now. Nonetheless, I still believe I’d be in a better position if I didn’t go at all.

Chose the Wrong Course

Well, European Studies is just useless. Attended 5 years of college to graduate in an area with very little chance of success. From those 5 years of interaction with fellow students, I can only name a few of which were successful. Only two ended up working in Brussels.

Nowadays I’m a freelance marketer and I’m yet to apply any knowledge I acquired in those 5 years.

Started Getting Into Debt

Although college is nowhere near as expensive as the United States, for people with below-average income is still difficult to pay the bills.

Having to pay rent, food, tuition, and night outs — don’t judge me — seriously hindered my finances.

By the 3rd year, it became unsustainable so I worked a part-time job in order to be able to complete my studies.

Didn’t Focus On Extracurricular Activities

How great would have been for my younger self to acquire some social and soft skills if I had focused on extracurricular activities more often?

I actually became a member of the academic student association but did little to no work with them.

The lack of some soft skills really slowed me down when I entered the job market, afterward.

My Current Career Doesn’t Require Education

Although it requires knowledge, working as a freelance marketer requires no academic education. At least not as extensive as I had.

After leaving the call center I was working — while finishing my studies — I decided to continue studying. This time in a different area.

That’s when Marketing appeared. But it only took me 6 months of acquiring knowledge to find a job in one of the biggest companies in Portugal.

Inspired by a fellow creator, I decided to challenge myself to publish 100 short-form articles within January. This is article number 72.