College and education in general is about trying new things. You don’t really know what you like and don’t like unless you’ve experienced it first hand.
You can and will become successful being yourself, having a personality. Everyone is trying to project themselves to be who they think the world wants them to be.
Be yourself, take the pressure off yourself to have to worry about being something you are not. Once you shed the mask and let yourself be who you are you can begin designing a life for yourself that will enhance the time you have.
The first step in college is to decide why you are even going in the first place. If you want to be an Engineer, you don’t need anyone’s permission to be “engineer” right now. Pick up books, self educate yourself on what it is that you want to do.
As you continue self educating yourself, college will guide your curiosities deeper into a field of study that will allow you to one day call yourself an Engineer.
The key to learning is apprenticeships/internships. These are sometimes paid positions that allow you to learn your craft in an understudy type setting.
With attending college you can find these opportunities in the form of work-study as well. A lot of companies will not hire interns not currently attending or just graduating from a college or university.
While attending college take advantage of sitting down with your favorite professors during their office hours. Sitting and talking about life in the field you desire to go into is a great quasi mentorship that can grow into a networking opportunity down the road.
Understand that nobody owes no one anything. This means there is no entitlement in the real world. Money affords some easier opportunities over others, but people respect people that work at the end of the day.
Don’t be afraid to be wrong and speak up in class. Nobody should walk out of a class at the end of a term and not know that you were in the class.
Be accountable and be on time. Time management is a very important quality. College is a commitment that unfortunately interferes with other things. Only things worth your time should keep you from your commitments.
If you have to work and go to school, pick a job that compliments what you ultimately want to become. This cuts down on burn out of having to switch between completely different mental tasks.
Create a support system of people that understand what you are going through or at least support you in whatever it is you are going through.
Time waits for no one and it’s going to take help sometimes to push through the difficult moments.
Starting at a community college is a great way of breaking up your education and saving money. Also it allows for a milestone degree and time to develop good study habits before a major university.