One of the most important changes I experienced when coming to university for the first time two years ago was the slow but certain realisation that I was now totally and utterly free.
It was something I had never fully been before. Sure I had been free in a political sense and maybe a philosophical sense, but in realistic and pragmatic terms, I was still dependent on a huge amount of things.
I went to sixth form nine to four everyday; I didn’t have a car so I was at the mercy of the public transport services and I didn’t even turn 18 until mid-July so as you can imagine there were a fair few things holding me back.
But coming to university changed all that. It took some time to get but it slowly dawned on me that I could do whatever I wanted. And to be fair since I managed to get my head around it I like to think I’ve come quite a long way, in fact I think I’m probably only about one step away from allowing a pair of dice to make every decision for me.
That’s why it always surprises me when people come to university, the place where I discovered this amazing freedom, and make themselves slaves to a brand new master: the CV.
I can’t believe the inordinate amount of people who are apparently willing to go through hell for their figurative CV boss. I‘ve heard people say things like: “Well I didn’t get paid on my six weeks work experience and I did have to miss most of my summer and I really just spent my time making teas and coffees but it’ll look really good on my CV.”
I’ve known people, who I won’t name and shame here, who have sunk huge amounts of time in projects they have no interest in or passion for merely for the promise of one line on their CV.
Now I’d never warn people off getting involved in a society or running for a JCRC position or whatever you want to do for the right reasons, such as being interested in the specific group or wanting to meet more people with similar interests, but what sort of job will you get with a CV filled up with activities that you resented doing or didn’t enjoy? The answer is obvious: you’ll get a job you resent and don’t enjoy.
So with that in mind I beg of you, do what you want, not what you think people want you to do. You’ve just been gifted the time in your life when you have the least restrictions you’ll ever have, make sure you don’t waste it on something you don’t want to do.
if “societies are for enjoyment and not for future brown nosing” why were you Editor for Vision? Just for fun was it? Or do you want to be a journalist in the future??
Actually yes, I did do it because I enjoyed doing it. I’m still undecided about what career path I want to follow in the future although obviously I accept that the experience will have been extremely useful if I do decide to go into journalism.