When someone asks me “How did you spend your 5 years at University?”, I struggle to string a genuine sentence. Because to simplify it would do no justice to the experience that I’ve gained. With 1 week to go before my convocation in UTP, I feel the need to share the key lessons that I had obtained during those 5 years. These lessons are close to my heart, hence I do hope that you would be able to relate to a few.
Invest in yourself
I always tell the story of Pravin who first entered university with a pretty unique situation: He aced his SPM, but despised studying. He was told by many that he had a potential, but more often than not he wasted it. He had a bundle of energy, but he kept finding trouble.(He had a very nasty mouth). But there’s one thing that Pravin knew he had in himself: He had the courage to try something new despite the uncertainties.
The defining moment for me was during the process of applying for the President role of AIESEC in UTP before entering 2nd year. I reached a point where if I felt the urge for a tougher challenge. And I never regretted making that decision, despite having spent the consequent 1 year struggling with the daily stress and various commitments. It broke me as a person after facing numerous disappointments, many of which could have been avoided had I paid more attention to my surroundings. Although many praised me for a job well done as the President, I realized the ugly truth of myself:
- That at times I was selfish to attain my personal ambition without considering the needs of others.
- That I was afraid of accepting my own mistakes and instead pointed the blame at another person.
- That I really struggled at organizing myself because I could not entertain the thought of structure in my life.
These realizations, and consequently the behavioral changes would have never occurred to me had I not invested my time and energy in challenging myself.
Knowledge is beyond your textbook
Okay, you’ve heard it before from many others. But allow me to shed some light on this “statement”. So, I’ve tried my level best throughout my 5 years to ensure that my academics were not going to be compromised. But gluing myself to the textbook and powerpoints was not how I wanted to spend my time in uni. To me, real knowledge lay outside (the real world). I really wanted to network and meet new people to gain a fresh perspective on global and local matters. I was also very keen to participate in numerous competitions. One was the Asian English Olympics in 2013 at Jakarta, where my public speaking skills were seriously tested. I then participated in NACES 2013 together with my 3 other classmates, and that really tested my engineering knowledge. And yes, SEDEX 2014 was also a huge achievement as the same team won Gold in the Open Innovation Challenge. These were all huge learning curves as I gained valuable knowledge and sharpened my skills. I believe that there are vast opportunities out there to test yourself, and all it needs is a leap of faith.
It’s a race between you and yourself only
During my Foundation years, I was the Sebastian Vettel among my peers as I flew out of the blocks and got involved in too many commitments (events, clubs etc.). I only did so to prove to others that I was very capable of handling the pressure as I took a great dose of satisfaction comparing myself with my peers. After all, this was the ‘opportunity’ for me to shine and show that I was better than anyone else. But by the end of my foundation studies, I experienced a massive burnout. I was tired, unhappy and not spending quality time with people that matter. It was then, during the semester break, that I made a very simple resolution: That this will be my race against my goals, and not anyone else’s. It really helped me to focus my efforts on activities that I deem beneficiary to my personal growth. Of course, this mindset was a work in progress, and I was glad that by my 4th year I felt very focused on what I wanted to achieve as a person. So set your own goals, what defines success in your opinion, and hustle to achieve it.
Always do the best in what you have been assigned to
And if you can’t deliver, just admit it and pull out of it before it harms the progress of the team. I have always upheld the value of accountability although occasionally I have flattered to deceive (We all have been a disappointment once in a while). As a member and leader, I have made plenty of promises to my teammates, of which I have tried to fulfill them, be it club projects, class assignments or even a simple plan with friends. My Final Year Project was one that really tested my accountability to the stakeholders involved. It was a research simulation project by PETRONAS where I had to use Aspen HYSYS (Chem-e students will know that trouble is slowly brewing at this point). I absolutely loathe heading to the simulation lab and just spend countless hours trying to collect useful data. I settled on getting the project done using the small sample of data I collected (which were pretty useless), in order to pass my FYP. That’s when a masters student whom I had sought for help, chided me for not giving my best to the project. He told me that an engineer would find a way around the problem and then present a credible solution. That advice really stung me into action, and within the 2 months I solved a major problem in the dynamic simulation and interpreted over 500 excel sheets with each containing 24000 cells of data. I delivered on my promise to my supervisor and presented the final results to the examiner (tough guy). Obtaining an A grade for my FYP2 was a watershed moment considering that months earlier I was struggling to my wit’s end to even figure a way. I guess that my promise to do my best in whatever I am in really pushed me beyond.
Build meaningful conversations and experiences
Ask yourself, when was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with someone? As much I am an extrovert who talks cock most of the times, I truly cherish the deep conversations I have experienced with plenty of individuals. I’ve heard stories of those who were struggling with the demands of life, being ridiculed by friends and family for being homosexual, and fought against all odds despite losing their loved ones from a young age. These conversations helped build a sound perspective in me towards certain matters, as I try to comprehend how difficult yet amazing one’s experience in life could ever be. It was during these conversations that I found my true friends, ones that will continue to support me throughout.
So that’s a wrap from me. 5 years in UTP, 5 key lessons that I have gained. When someone asks me again “How did you spend your 5 years at University?”, I would proudly tell them that I failed and succeeded numerous times. I was far from a perfect student, but as I look back on my many endeavors, I feel proud of what I have gained. This journey would not have been possible without the consistent moral support from my friends and family. On the 15th of October, I will collect my scroll knowing that this is not only a celebration of my degree, but also the celebration of a person’s transformation, named Pravin Nair.
NAIR BOOKS. 