February 23, 2011

Opportunities await...

Still today, with graduation looming in 4 months and classes ending in under 2 months, it's kind of overwhelming. I'm lucky I am not barraged with studying or major assignments during this one week break so it has given me time to catch up with some friends I would rarely see during the school year, and literally eat out every day.


With all that in mind, what is there after graduation? I have been a student for like almost 18years of my life, I'm 22 now, so its pretty much my entire life. I am considering possibly doing a college program whether at George Brown or Seneca in the hospitality/tourism field to satisfy my desire for traveling and working with the public. Maybe I will push this idea of mine back if I can secure a job with my credentials for studying in university and obtaining that degree. I only went to Ryerson because of their entrepreneurship program. I was interested in starting my own business, and ultimately being my own boss. Unfortunately, the first few compulsory courses didn't appeal to my appetite. I thought it would be more hands on (business plans, ventures) but it was more theoretical. Even the profs acknowledged there's no right way to teach or explain entrepreneurship but they still tried for three years of the program. I did however find three courses especially useful and enjoyable: Identifying opportunities, Creating a business plan, and Managing innovations as they all allowed me to use my creative juices with new ideas and how to implement those ideas into a concrete plan. 


To be honest, I never really wanted to go to university. All the pressures and academics involved didn't appeal to me while I was still in high school. I was more interested in doing hands on work, handling different situations and tasks on a daily basis, and just being around people. Maybe that's why I struggled during my first two years of university. I hated and basically sucked with examinations of all kinds. I don't have the best memory for anything, so it wasn't my strength. But with the last few years of school, I find it better because not only is there the opportunity to show my qualities in individual reports, but pretty much all my courses involved group work which accounted for the majority of our grades. I excelled in this every time, and I don't think I have encountered a bad group to work with. Even times when I did not know anyone in the class, we still made it work as a team, helping one another out, and eventually becoming friends with a couple of them. Maybe that's why my grades have been higher in these courses because as I said before and say again, I am not the smartest academic person in my classes, but my ability to think out of the ordinary (being weird) and working awesomely (if thats even a word) in groups has ultimately made my university classes more enjoyable and useful.


I feel this is long, and its just myself expressing my current thoughts and how I look back on my education. Sure it's a good thing to have an university degree as a foundation, but it isn't the only determining factor on whether one is successful or not. With that in mind, I conclude this as I go to bed early tonight for my interview with CB Richard Ellis in the morning, I'm excited for the opportunity to have a professional job interview since it's been awhile. Not setting my expectations too high, but I'm going to do my best.


Sign out post number fifty four,
Kevin Yeung

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