A lot has happened over the last year and really it's been everything but normal.
But as time continues to go by, we're all starting to understand that we may truly never
go back to what we saw as normal.
More jobs than ever are letting employees work completely from home.
More people than ever are using their voices and platforms to stand up for social injustice,
and world leaders are coming together to fight the drastic effects of issues like climate
change.
Thankfully, there are lots of bright and capable minds out there.
And hopefully, through this video, I can give you some advice and motivation to go tackle
those difficult problems of today and beyond.
I don't know if it's just me, but hearing the graduation years increase every year just
make me feel really old.
Class of 2025.
That's wild.
If you're new to this channel, I'm KJ.
I graduated from MIT last year, and am currently taking a leave of absence from graduate school
at Stanford.
I get lots of people from Instagram and in the comments asking for advice, so in this
video, I wanted to share a lot of what I've learned over the last 5 or so years as I navigated
college life.
Whether you're in the class of 2025 or not, hopefully this video can help you out!
My first bit of advice is to do what you truly enjoy because that is what you will be the
most successful at.
If a certain field resonates with you, you will be much more likely to work hard and
get to the level you need to be to land that job or opportunity that you strive for.
In any field, there are going to be those inflection points of really challenging times
where you question the direction you're taking at the moment.
But if you really care about the specific thing you're doing, you'll actually make it
over those humps.
In my case, although I chose aerospace engineering, I never got passionate about learning about
planes or rockets specifically.
Don't get me wrong, they're really interesting, but whenever I took a class involving more
algorithms or autonomous systems, there was a clear distinction in my head that would
form.
I'd find myself naturally wanting to do those specific assignments and projects before any
of my others.
I found myself researching things on the side just to learn more.
And naturally, it was in these classes where I did the best and felt the most comfortable.
Not because the classes were any easier, but because I genuinely cared about the subjects
that were being taught.
You will do better in field that you're actually passionate about, so if you have the freedom
in your schedule to dabble in areas that you may be interested in, go ahead and try.
And if something resonates with you, pursue it.
That being said, it's also okay to change your mind.
It's impossible to know everything that you want and everything that you like, before
entering college.
At MIT, I knew people who switched from chemical engineering to computer science or computer
science to straight management and finance.
I used to be of the train of thought where I felt as if a commitment was a commitment,
so I just had to stick it out.
But with time, I realized that life is too short to be doing something that you don't
really care about.
This is something that I learned pretty late, but is also a big reason why I wake up everyday
very excited to tackle my day's work.
I've added a major, multiple minors, dropped those additions, changed academic concentrations,
and am currently taking a leave of absence from Stanford.
You have a lot more control over your situation than it may seem, and I feel as if a lot of
schools -- although you may have to search for the right people to talk to -- there are
people that want to help you figure out what's best for you.
This gets me into my next point, meet new people.
Whether through groups to do assignments with, or outside of classes in the form of student
groups or clubs, these people that you meet in college and university could be lifelong
friends and people you turn to when you need advice, a foot in the door for a job, or a
startup cofounder.
Regardless of if you utilize the network effect of these friends moving forward, in the short
term, these people are going through school just like you, and could be people who you
can lean on for support along the way.
I personally had made lifelong friends at MIT who got me through a lot, and that's something
I will forever be grateful for.
And I hope everyone gets to experience those types of friendships.
In terms of internships, things do get pretty tricky.
Finding your first one could be really difficult.
You will definitely get turned down or ghosted a fair amount by companies in the beginning.
But through the process, you'll start to learn what they're looking for, and as the years
progress, you'll gain more of the tools that are attractive to companies.
I would say that when interning, be open to stepping a bit out of your comfort zone.
Even if for example you're an aspiring software engineer, gaining experience in project management
or consulting may open your eyes to other roles that could really resonate with you.
I'm biased, but I would also recommend trying to work for a startup at some point just to
experience all that a startup can provide: things like a fast pace, more project ownership,
direct mentorship from leadership, and an elevated level of excitement.
In general, internships are a great way to experiment with what you're really passionate
about.
The first internship is always the most challenging to get, but at least for engineering, once
you get the first one, it should be much easier to get subsequent internships as long as you
did meaningful work at the first one.
And if internships simply aren't coming your way, take the initiative to do projects on
your own.
A lot of the times, I am more impressed by a project that a potential intern took the
initiative to see all the way through, than the more busy-work type tasks that a student
may have been given at a past internship.
Make sure to keep your health first.
You should strive to do the best that you can in school, but the best you can should
take into account your needs of quality sleep, rest, mental breaks, and healthy relationships.
Have open conversations about grades with your professors.
Know what psets can get dropped from your grade, whether they give extensions or not,
etc.
Professors are humans too, and if you're having a particularly terrible week, don't be afraid
to let your other professors know.
The worst they can do is say no, but there were many moments where professors have been
empathetic and even gave the entire class extensions.
You're going to have weeks where all of your assignments pile up -- times where you'll
be sleeping less and stressing more.
During these times, I've learned to take a step back to evaluate my priorities.
For example, if I'm doing well in a certain class where I know this one problem is only
worth a fraction of a percentage of my overall grade, then I won't do that problem if I'm
overwhelmed with other classes at the moment.
These types of decisions may feel counter-intuitive, but that extra 5 hours you get by not doing
that one tough problem, could lead to more sleep, and you doing well in other classes
that you weren't doing as well in.
That being said, always make sure to come back and at least read over the solution key
once those are posted, so that you understand the problem that you skipped in case a similar
problem appeared on an exam.
You should also make sure to find things non-academic that you can go to in times of stress.
I'd also recommend one of those things be a physical outlet while one of them a creative
one.
With something like dance, you may be able to do both at once.
I grew to really love basketball throughout my life.
Up until I was in middle school, I also consistently played piano.
Although I have recently begun to pick up piano again, my main creative outlet has become
this YouTube channel.
The physical side of things allow me to destress, unwind, and keep my body healthy.
While the creative side of things allow me to improve the way I think and problem solve.
Getting into a creative mindset every so often really allows me to tackle problems from various
angles, and I've even been able to directly use some of the creative skills I've gained
in my more technical roles.
Either way, having non-academic things you can turn to will help in both the short and
long term.
We've reached the point where a lot of the new challenges in the world are public information,
and people are becoming more vocal about what they view as wrong with society and societal
norms.
From social injustice protests last summer to many Asian Americans and Pacific Islander
communities raising awareness for hate crimes that have increased recently, people are definitely
making an effort to take a stand.
Whether you're deeply rooted in any particular issue or not, it's important to take a step
back to examine your passions and goals in the context of the world.
You don't want to be in a position where ten years from now, you're not proud to be doing
whatever it is you're doing because that can eat away at you.
Conversely, if you're able to align your passions with your beliefs and find positions/fields
that blend both, you'll be intrinsically motivated to continue to study or to continue to make
a change, and that's a type of motivation that is hard to come by.
You can follow all of the advice I gave in this video and you're still going to have
down moments during your college career.
Life is full of ups and downs, and sometimes the downs just hit at very inconvenient moments.
So this video isn't to tell you the perfect way to navigate college because there isn't
one.
I just wanted to share pieces of advice that I'd give to people based on my particular
experience studying STEM.
The college ages are so pivotal because so many life variables can change.
You can move to a new city, get a new job, meet a whole new set of friends, and grow
into an adult.
So many things are changing that I think it's important to keep certain values and mindsets
in the back of your mind at all times to push you through any of the down times.
I didn't want this video to be too long, so I'm going to stop talking there.
Let me know what types of videos you want to see me do in the future.
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As always, thanks for watching, and I will see you in the next video.