3 Life Experiences That Taught Me More than My Expensive Degree
Here are some things I learned over the past years.
Hi!
Besides writing about AI, I’ve decided to share some tips based on my personal experience that might come in handy for you (or might just let know you more about me). If you like this type of article, please, let me know by leaving a like :)
Let me be real with you — my studies were everything to me. I put all my heart, soul, and money into it.
In September 2020, I got this amazing opportunity to study in Austria and Italy for a double degree program (like Erasmus). I was excited, so I packed my entire life into one suitcase and bought a one-way ticket.
Sayonara to my old life!
It was my dream, and I was willing to do anything to make it happen. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I lost touch with even more friends, had to quit my athletic career, and moved to an expensive new place. To make ends meet, I worked two or three jobs on top of studying at two universities at the same time (Vienna and Risky). In addition to that, I had to take extra bachelor’s degree courses since my diploma wasn’t fully recognized.
It was a tough couple of years. I had to cut off ties with most of my friends, got super depressed, and even found my first gray hair, which I dyed away ;)
It was tough as hell: No rest. No vacations. No friends. Just me and my laptop, day and night, cramming for exams.
Finally, in October 2022, I graduated from uni with top-notch grades. I nailed my diploma defense and got a sweet score of 105 out of 110. I was proud as hell and ready to show off my dual diplomas and all my work experience to the world.
But then reality hit.
Apparently, all that hard work and paper qualifications weren’t enough. I had to learn that what really mattered were my other skills and experiences.
1. Self-confidence is sometimes more important than having too much knowledge/experience
I’ve been into sports my whole life. I started swimming at six and by eleven, I was already winning athletics competitions and even made it to the national team.
But wait, that’s not all! I also got excellent grades for my bachelor’s degree and had a scholarship for all 4 years of studying. Then, I went on to earn not one, but two master’s degrees abroad.
However, as I’ve learned, having knowledge and skills is not enough if you don’t believe in yourself. You can be the best in your field but if you’re always second-guessing yourself, you won’t reach your full potential.
For instance, I tried making a blog on Instagram about rehabilitation and prevention exercises, but it was a flop because of my self-doubt. When I planned on starting blogging over a year ago, I kept asking myself:
Who would even read my stories?
But you know what? If I had kept thinking that way, I wouldn’t be writing this article today and earning money from it.
I don’t make a full-time salary from blogging, but at least it’s half of what I paid for a semester at one of my universities.
So, the moral of the story is that having a positive attitude and confidence is crucial in getting what you want in life.
2. Have discipline if you want to go for gold
I picked up this important lesson from years of doing sports — show up for every single workout no matter what. Even when I felt lazy, wanted to chill with friends, or was sick, I had to be there.
And you know what?
This lesson has been a game-changer for me.
It taught me discipline and patience, and these qualities have helped me a lot.
In the photo below, you can see me winning a bronze medal, which did not allow me to qualify for international competitions.
But three months later, I was standing on the podium with those same girls, but this time I’ve got a gold medal around my neck and a ticket to the European Championship. Can you believe it? I actually did it!
I just became more disciplined. I showed up for every single workout, and I was always the first to arrive and the last to leave.
That’s what did it — discipline!
In sports, I had to show up for every training session to bag those medals. In university, I had to put in long hours of study to graduate. And when it comes to writing, I had to read and research a lot to produce quality articles.
It takes time and effort to develop this skill, but it’s worth it.
So, if you’re working on something today and you feel like you don’t see a lot of improvement, don’t give up. Keep track of your progress in a month, two months, or six months and see how far you’ve come.
It’s super satisfying to see your progress and growth over time!
3. Build good connections
Building connections and relationships with people in your industry or field can be a key factor in career success.
I could write a whole article about this because I feel incredibly lucky with the awesome people in my life. Having good friends and acquaintances around you is worth its weight in gold, and I learned this lesson the hard way.
I used to be an introvert and didn’t enjoy socializing much. I had only one or two close friends and didn’t bother much about meeting new people. I thought that was enough.
But I was wrong.
It turns out that living in a bubble doesn’t help you grow as a person. You miss out on so much valuable information, opportunities, and most importantly, the positive energy that good friends and acquaintances bring.
Looking back, I can’t imagine where I’d be if it weren’t for the amazing people in my life. I wouldn’t be writing this blog if a friend of mine hadn’t introduced me to it and showed me how to get started. I wouldn’t have moved to Austria if it weren’t for some friends I met on a vacation.
When I started to socialize more, I learned English, found a job, started writing this blog, and learned so much valuable information that helped me grow. And most importantly, I became happier and more fulfilled.
I realized that good friends are attracted to those who can also be good friends, so it’s important to do your best for them too.
Friends and acquaintances are priceless treasures that don’t cost a dime, but they’re worth more than anything in the world!
I wouldn't see confidence as a choice between it and knowledge/experience, but it definitely provides a +100% boost to your baseline score. :)
I've always wondered about confidence as it is so heavily influenced by our childhood experiences and we have no control over that. Bad experiences tend to isolate people from others, when we actually need those connections to improve our confidence or what I prefer to refer to as "sense of value". That is a long way of asking "How are you dealing with confidence and how has your point 3 affected your view on it?" :)
An impressive CV 👍🙂
You remind me of Barbara Oakley, "professor of engineering at Oakland University", and of her "A Mind for Numbers" (highly recommended). But particularly of the foreword in her book:
"The Law of Serendipity: Lady Luck favours the one who tries" 🙂