Education | Life Lessons | Advice
How To Seek Guidance, When No One Seems To Guide You
“If people keep stepping on you, wear a pointy hat.” ― Joyce Rachelle
The first day of college, exciting indeed. I bought my uniform as soon as I heard the news that I got accepted. So Pops thought it best, I would take the ongoing classes and get a feel of the environment and the system. Plus, it seemed a good thing for me to get a whiff of how college is like. I arrived early on time on my Campus, really happy searching for the class with a bright smile on my face. I made it to College!
Never did I ever imagine, I would make it to college not knowing that I would make it to the top schools in engineering. So I was stoked to see how it will play out, hoping for the best. The first class was perhaps about “Introduction to Programming Systems & Languages.” Something new perhaps, although I did learn Java when I was in the 6th grade a little bit when I was interested in making Flash games. So I had an idea of how it would be like, I was wrong.
The course I took was probably 5 weeks in and was talking about C++ Structures, which went over my head — Swoosh. I was confused, so I asked questions to which the instructor told me, that she will entertain the questions after her Lecture. I patiently wait, for the class to get over. I walk towards her, with a smile on my face and asked
“Excuse me, Miss — I wanted to ask some guidance on how the things you mentioned worked. This is my first day, and I’m excited to be in your class.”
She replies, with a straight face,
“I don’t have time kiddo, perhaps you can ask your class fellows, they can guide you better. Whoops, gotta hurry my break will end soon. Any more questions?”
To which I replied in earnest,
“No Madam. Thank you for your time.”
Afterwards, she picked her laptop and left the lecture hall just like that. And I looked around and 6 guys were sitting in the back with cheeky faces, who would soon become my mates, and then some.
I was flustered, it kind of turned my mood off towards the first day. I didn’t let it get to me, but I did subconsciously — it does hurt when you have hopes for something good, and it just gets whemmled right at your face.
The next day, I came it was the class of “Introduction to Electronic Systems” — I tried to study so that I get to know about it and prepare myself beforehand. When I took the class, Now this probably had a professor whom in the coming years — my relationship would be a really hard struggle. Perhaps, he didn’t like my bright attitude or my curiosity. Or sometimes the senile years just rub off on you. Can be whatever case, it was hard in the first class. I asked a question about “circuits and Ohm’s law” I remember. Yeah, the same law, with the equation such as follows,
V=I*R
Where V is Voltage, I=Current, and R=Resistance. We were perhaps studying “Series and Parallel circuits” and I asked a simple question.
Why are there only two types of circuits i.e. Series and Parallel?
I think I blew his fuse with this one. I mean I meant no disrespect. He became loud, as some professors get. I mean it is just a question. This kind of probably destroyed all hopes of a “good” education I was perhaps promised by my peers who encouraged me to apply to such a “prestigious” school. Or perhaps it was just me, it wasn’t.
After calling me all the bad words, that can be used in the dictionary for an “idiot” — he told me to leave the classroom — I apologized dearly, and I left just like that. I came to Cafeteria, and I sat in a corner because I was basically in a sensitive moment, that I could cry. My Tears were nearly contained in my eyelids, but I drew them back in as I tried to compose myself.
“If people keep stepping on you, wear a pointy hat.” ― Joyce Rachelle
I went to the library afterwards, there I picked a book and started reading. Afterwards, I left for home. I came back, didn’t tell anyone as I was told from an early age that “men don’t cry” so yeah you have to play the part of what society demands. Otherwise, you’re a wimp — you have to set your emotions aside, as your feelings are never validated. But I managed to turn the other cheek as I always have opened up Google, Yahoo, and Bing.
“Your preparation for the real world is not in the answers you’ve learned, but in the questions you’ve learned how to ask yourself.” ― Bill Watterson
And I searched the question everywhere, and all the other things I had questions for. That’s what a search engine is for, sometimes it would be in a book so I would search the book other times an answer would pop up on a professor’s page of UC Irvine or Berkeley — really good Electrical Engineering and Computer sciences resources they have, along with MIT and vice-versa.
I believe, I would even ask everyone on the campus, and would even sometimes sneak into another campus, of another university that was alongside ours to find someone who could answer my questions.
If you have questions, and the drive to find answers — patience is the key that will sail you towards the treasure you seek.
Though I have never been caught there was one time but during that time I had made a fair connection with people on that campus to let me go right on the spot. I had proved my willingness to learn, I did meet many teachers such as these two in my senior years as well. Intellectually tepid, and unable to have the fortitude or willingness to even entertain a remotely interesting discussion with their students. Their motto,
We speak and You listen — but then how are you supposed to learn or even get the gist of something.
For Programming and Systems, I joined an organization on GitHub, called EBookFoundation.org from where I would join a community of programmers and seasoned professionals and seek answers. I also joined Stackoverflow and other communities and followed people like Bucky Roberts and sentdex to name a few, that channel interests around programming and electrical systems. It helped me a lot in my journey to learn, and at times even get light years ahead of what was being done in the classroom. If I would start a book, perhaps I would even finish reading 67% of it on the first day. I was that much dedicated to learning and I still am.
“The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe.” ― Gustave Flaubert
But this kind of hyperactivity was never well-received. As I have always been told by professors, that “stick with the classroom, we will get to that chapter when everyone gets there” — they never did. But I was always told to pipe down, as it wasn’t a good thing. It kind of kept removing me out, and the professors kept on yammering their hammers on the heads of their pupils until either it would get into their heads, or they would have a headache, as would everyone.
I decided early on, it wasn’t for me thus I would spend my time outside the classroom and in the library or the labs. Because I was interested in the practical, and answering my questions and moving forwards not sitting in a classroom. There’s no such thing as a dream college, it is just the same. First of all, you should realize and not keep expectations — you will live a very happy and fulfilling life.
Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.” ― Rumi
You are your guide — you just need to motivate yourself. Your faith and belief in yourself are what sets you apart. Believe in yourself. You are not alone, I have been there. We have all been there, the difference is You will make a change, and not settle for the normal routine “B.S” because it doesn’t matter if you are just rota learning everything and getting a degree. It will be a waste. It is better if you fail that degree, then I can assure you will learn and also live a satisfying life.
You will learn the metrics to guide yourself. A Book I read when I about left college, was given to me by my Dad called “Good to Great — Why some companies make the leap and others Don’t” by Jim Collins. I would say it changed my perspective on the moronic attitudes most colleges, professors and even people have. A degree doesn’t matter if you don’t have the skills to back it up. Skills won’t matter if you don’t have the personal character to back it up. See all these things matter, give your time to each one.
The best way to guide yourself is by failing — only then you will know the difference between what works and what doesn’t.
That’s how all “great” minds work. They learn by failing to not fail by the same method again. They learn and guide themself. You can do just that even by staying in college, The only way you can ever learn is by failing. Even if you fail a thousand times, one small victory will save your life and will fulfil your thirst for winning.
Thank you for taking the time to read through. Remember, to always ask questions, if you get them unanswered — write them down and ask every other bystander you see that seems to know what’s it about. Go to the library and search. Go to the web, and search. It eventually does make sense to everyone, sleep on it. It might perhaps even come in your dream i.e. the solution.
You are your guide, Believe in yourself and trust the process. It takes time but you will find answers, just start working on the problems. It starts to make sense in the long run of things, and most of all stay calm and enjoy life.
Stay Blessed and Stay Safe!
With Love ❤️
