Wednesday, May 6, 2015

#WriterWednesday: What My College Experience Taught Me

In case you haven't heard, I finally did it. I graduated from college. My overall experience taught me a lot and today I'd like to share those lessons with you.



With God, Nothing is Impossible

I struggled in every way a person can struggle through my five years in college. I first struggled with living away from home. Then, I struggled with making friends, struggled with finding a job, struggled with balancing work and school, struggled wth figuring out that I didn't want to be an accountant, struggled with my health, struggled with the finances to pay for school, and lastly, I struggled with not giving up and quitting. Without God, I don't think I ever would have made it through. Now, I truly believe that nothing is impossible with God.

Friends Come and Go

Sadly, I feel that most of the friends I ended up making during my college years were fickle and didn't end up becoming life-long friends. Yet, I've found peace about this because I've started praying for divine connections which are friends that God gives you that understand and support the person God is making you to be. Thankfully, when you trust God in all areas of your life, he always comes through at the right time and never lets you down.

Money is important but never meant to take the place of God

Money was something I went to college with and ended up watching it get vacuumed out from under me until I was left in the quicksand that is debt. And being in debt before you even graduate college is not fun at all nor is it something I recommend. 

Some suggestions I have for young people going off to college: 
1. Get a job while you are in high school so you always have a job when you come home on breaks and for the summer, or at least experience to build a resume and a reference.
2. Sow some, spend some, save most.
One principal I live by is giving God 10% of all income I get, and spending what is necessary to spend in order to treat myself, and saving the rest in order to build interest. I won't bore you with a post about the different forms of money-saving options but I will say to do your own research. It will be worth it in the long run.
3. Use your college fund solely for college
4. Talk to your roommates. See what they have before purchasing stuff for on or off campus housing.

Despite money being a necessary form of transaction between you and your college education; don't ever serve money. Always be a giver in order to take away from being a slave of money. If you believe in God and have Jesus as your savior, God redeemed us from the curse of poverty and lack.
Trust me, God can provide wherever there is a need and even if it looks like there is no way.

Stressed? Talk to Somebody or go workout at the gym
My college experience was uber stressful. I coped by praying and spending time in God's word. There were some things I didn't take lightly in college: my near-death experience, a fallout with one of my best friends and one of the first guys I fell in love with. These things required me to go see a counselor, and after I did, I was able to slowly rise above those traumatic experiences and also find the good in them. One thing I did when I was having roommate problems was always going to the gym instead of lashing out at my roommates. Trust me, putting all that negative energy into a workout is an instant stress reliever.

My college experience taught me not only a lot about my career field but about people, about living on my own, about how strong I can be when it seems everything is against me, and how unforgiveness and bitterness left to fester will make you sick.

Until next time, remember: The things that set you apart from the pack, the things that you once thought were your weaknesses, will someday become your strengths. -Taylor Swift


The criticism born of other's insecurities? Ignore that. You don't need anyone telling you what your style, substance, or happiness should look like. You can be the judge of that. - Lena Dunham

Love Times Infinity,
Chelsea
xoxo
God Bless!
~Just Keep Swimming~



6 comments:

  1. Congratulations on graduating. Have a lovely weekend.

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  2. Congratulations!!!
    All these lessons just reminded me of my own journey through college. What an experience, huh?

    Have a lovely out of school life, dear. :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, Lux! I'm so happy to be done but will miss different aspects. Yes, it was definitely an experience.

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  3. Congratulations on graduating, from your friend Teddy.

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