No one tells you what you need to know
Well, no one comes up to you on a whim and tells you what you need to know. The endless and boundless thirst for knowledge will always be what sets people apart from being good and being great. There is so much opportunity that is perfect for you, and no one will ever tell you about it….if you don’t talk to them. As someone who would much rather stay in my own comfort zone and not have scary big conversations with people, lots of possible opportunities in my life have gone unnoticed and untold. While I could wallow in what could’ve been, I’m more focused on what I could have, and oh lord have I learned so much in just these 4 weeks. There is so much opportunity provided and possible to get over here at Iowa State, and I’m very thankful to all the graduate mentors, staff, and faculty who have equipped me with all the information about fellowships, grants, research opportunities, and more. I’m also especially thankful for Alex for being so supportive and helpful throughout the entire process of drafting and working through my MCA for 3D Printing and for being such a sarcastically funny instructor to listen to. Although I still am deathly scared of what’s yet to come in these remaining weeks, let alone my next 3 years of undergrad, I am insanely grateful to have so many more support lines and mentors to help guide me in the right direction and provide me with opportunities to help me further my knowledge and competitiveness for graduate school. The biggest thing I’ve learned getting to where I am today, is that comfort never built me anything worth remembering. But now? I’m building something unforgettable, my future.
Great post Jake! That is true that no one tells you what you need to know. This might happen during your K-12 school years, but it no longer happens after that, no matter if you start your own business, go to college/trade school, or just do your own thing. I’ve learned this the hard way as well. I had to take the initiative to get the information or learn the skills on my own. Continue to make good use of this space and environment where knowledge is just around the corner, we are all very eager to share what we know, but not without a little prompting 😉