My friend called me the other just to seek for some advice and he need someone to hear him out. Plus, since i was one of his course mates, this thing is pretty related to me.
So, my friend was in a dilemma right now.. He have failed a few subjects in my course and the counselors decide to appraoch him to give them some of their advice. Cause, the subjects that his failing are all important subjects and most of them are related to codes which is most probably what we are going to do for our future lifes. The counselors were worried for him, so they decided to give him a few options that he can do.
The first option was to continue the same course that his taking by retaking all the subjects that he failed so far but regardless-ly he has to stay back a semester late before graduating. Second, he can change his main course into IT (now we are in computer science, its two different things) still continue his second years and all but the subject his taking will be very different from computer science. Lastly, is change the whole course into commerce such as mass communication, accounting, marketing and all..
He was in a dilemma and he called me to ask me what i think he should do. I couldnt give him and actual answer.. Instead I ask him more and more questions just to help him narrow down his choices and trying to make him realise what kind of course he wants to go.
Somewhere in the middle of our conversation, i dont remember how but we suddenly mention about what course am I suppose to take instead of computer science. He told me that im more suitable to be in the Public Relation or Mass Communication kind of course cause it really suits my personality. This is not just his opinion, i've been receive alot of comments from my friends on what course i suits me very well. Out of 10 of them none of them say computer science cause its just not the Yu Ming kind of thing but instead alot of them say that I should do like Psychology or Communication or Business Marketing kind of stuffs. This is all true..
After the conversation, i start reflecting his situation to myself.. Am I in the right path as well? Is what im taking right now suitable for me? Am i liking what im doing right now?
After doing alittle bit of thinking.. Im worried.. Im was very very worried cause from the results of my previous semester, my score for my programming subjects are not really that satisfying and plus, i was kind lost sometimes when im doing my programming and stuffs.. I always need another person's opinion or an example to help me out with my programs. I always think that im not born to be the programmer kind of guy.. the reason why i keep myself strong and keep doing programming is because im really looking forward the gaming subjects BUT are the gaming subjects really as interesting as it sounds?
Then, i have a short flash back.. I remember on the first day of my orientation at INTI, there was this guy giving us an orientation speech and it was some what related to what im facing right now. I remember his story quite clearly cause his story was sooo inspiring. Back then when he was the same age as us, he was studying a subject that was even more boring and horrible than what im taking right now, engineering (no offense engineering students. XP). The reason why he took engineering is because when he was young he likes to build and repair stuffs for fun but when it entered degree it was not the way that he expect it to be. Which is something very similiar to me, i take computer games development is because i like playing games but i never knew that the course would be so difficult.
So right now, his doing repairs.. but it was not anything related to engineering, but related humans. His doing human repairing, its something like a consultant or a counselor kind of thing, and goes around giving inspiring and motivational speech to others. Even know he got an engineering knowledge and all but with his perfect human skills, his degree was just another extra path or a plan B to make a living. And of course, he is loving what he is doing right now..
What he said that really inspired me was.. "Everyone in this room listening to this will have a degree and you all will graduated. Yeah, the one sitting right next to you is going to get a degree just like yours. So the question now is, so what? No really, so what? Since everyone is going to get a degree and there are also other thousand of university out there providing degree for students like you all and they are also going to get a degree. So, what issit that makes you all better than the one sitting right next to your right now? Its called Human Skills."
His speech was extremely inspiring but i always have a question that i forgotten to raise my hands or ask him personally. Did he actually finish his degree? Did he take a double degree? Like taking engineering and the human communication stuffs? What did he do to get himself so motivated and so confident to do what he wants to do even know his doing an course that he doesnt like himself? If he finished his degree what did he do to make himself more into the human communication kind of stuffs? All of these i wanted to know right now.. if only i realize what im about to face is not what im expected, I would have raise my hands and ask him these questions..
After going thru a couple of thinking boxes and a couple of flash back, i decided to be just like him. I like computer games development and i like doing public relations stuffs too. I decided to do both at the same time but my main focus degree is definately computer science subjects. All i need to do right now is develop a human skill that will help me be a pretty computer games developer than anyone or to even help me to pursue my second choice which is public relations stuffs. Who knows? I might consider taking a second degree for public relations just because i like it. (that is just too ambitious)
I cant decide anything right now but this is what i temporally have in mind. I will have to wait and see how things goes only i can decide my future.. besides, issint this what im suppose to do right now? For now, i'll have to see what is the future that whoever that is up there looking after me planned for me. X)
So, have you guys have the thought that you might be taking the wrong course and all? Feel free to drop a message and express how you guys feel. I would love to read/listen to it.
Owh, my classes are starting in less that 5 days.. So, i'll be all busy again.. And therefore, there MIGHT be lesser blog post again.. I believe my 3rd semester is defiantely busier than the previous ones.. So wish me luck everyone! XD
CHEERS!
Heh, you and your friend there are not the only ones bro. I failed a core subject for my Illustration course in the midst of my 2nd year 3rd sem. What subject I failed? Illustration 2. Dreadful stuff.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't pinned down by counselors I can say that much. But going through the agony of thinking through if this was the right path for me was pretty agonizing.
You begin to wander if you're doing all the lecturers who've taught you so far justice, making full use of your time in college, not wasting a penny of your parents money, and most important of all, you question yourself if you really like doing what you do.
I'm quite similar to you. Before this, people have mentioned that mass comms, business, hospitality of psycho would be the way to go for me. But in the end, I chose art. One because I thought I loved it, and second because I was rushed to it.
I donno when it happened, but somewhere along the way in college, I began dreading every single assignment that came. I didn't want to even think about doing it. And it lingered on till that moment at the 2nd year 3rd sem and I failed. That was my breaking point, but I wasn't about to just throw in the towel. So I decided to give it one final push.
There were only 3 semesters left to go in my college anyways. So I just gritted myself and pulled through the remainder of my course. I already went this far, and the cert is just right in front of me. All I know is that if I back away from this, I won't be able to forgive myself. I chose this path. I have to at least finish it before even thinking about doing something else.
My father was being encouraging, saying it won't be a problem if I were to switch courses now. But I guess I was also feeling morbid at the same time, as though taking in what he said as a "i told you so" scenario where art wasn't exactly my forte at all.
My average scores in most of my subject are mostly C's. I get B's occasionally. And I occasionally score A's in non-art subjects somewhat.
In my industry, skill is everything. Just about the same as yours. The only difference is probably the fact that your skill, after learning it, is easier to be groomed up by your seniors at work if they need to, because your skill can be interpreted into text, can be studied. You can always work it through somehow.
In my field however, nobody can teach you the proper ways of creating good commercial art. Like how you're supposed to line shadows and depth together to create a dramatic lighting, or how you're supposed to match colours together in efforts in harmonize their existence together. People can feed you with inspiring images, mentor you day after day, but if you don't get it, you just don't. Art is all about understanding, and if you don't know how to understand it, you just won't get it.
So right now, I'm waiting for my convocation in October. And making good use of my time now trying to sharpen wherever I can in art. I regretted most of my time in college not being able to give a 100% in most of my assignments. So during this long break I have, after going in and out of work for almost 2 months, I learned the hard way that this would be one of the only opportunities I have to redeem myself in my field, before venturing forth into more work and everything, where I have less time to practice and stuff.
So... I was always intrigued by the prospect of just switching courses. But I guess my choice was to stick with it because I really want to just finish the goddamn course.
I don't have a good piece of advice for you. So all I can give you is my experience. It isn't fair for me to tell you or suggest what you should do about this. Because you know you like this course (originally), yet, your grades aren't very much in the same wavelength with your interests.
So.. just think it through. Properly.