These are some takeaways I scribbled down right after the last finals of my freshman year. It includes a mixture of hard-earned lessons, sudden realizations and thoughts I have reflected deeply upon. It has been a life-changing year packed with new experiences, and this list certainly does not do justice to how much I have learned.
I am certain that I will discover nuances or perhaps even disagree with many of these lessons in the future. It will be interesting to revisit this list some time down the road and analyze how my thinking has changed as I experience more of what life has to offer.
But for now, here's 12 lessons I learned in my freshman year:
- Git commit often and write useful commit messages.
- Be purposeful in choosing the people you hang out with.
- Everything will work out. Take heart in the process, even if it isn't enjoyable at least it builds character.
- It is a privilege to work on something you are actually passionate about. Not everyone gets to do that. Be grateful of that privilege.
- Grades aren't everything. Learning is.
- Put yourself out there. Growth happens only when you have to courage to bring what is within you out in the world.
- Don't code under the influence of alcohol.
- Find your balance between present and future. It's a hyperparameter, tune it.
- Intrinsic motivation > extrinsic recognition. Surround yourself with people motivated by the right reasons.
- There is no such things as the right pace or the right path. Walk your own path at your own pace. Fuck trying to fit in.
- Don't underestimate your intelligence. Always try your hardest, but know that failure is just as valuable.
- Don't let 'being young' be a factor that stops you from having higher expectations of yourself; If it's not now, then it's never.
Above all, my greatest takeaway and the best part of my journey in Cal has been the amazing people I have met and befriended. If you happen to be reading this, thank you! 💕