(originally published https://blog.bham.ac.uk/birminghamgraduate/2024/05/03/four-questions-with-megan-2/)
What is the biggest mistake you have made since graduating and what have you learned from it?
Graduating during a global pandemic resulted in many challenges, which have undoubtedly strengthened my resilience and adaptability. I’ve often made the mistake of believing in the illusion of control we have of our lives, career and long-term future. However, global uncertainty, cancelled travel plans, lockdown in foreign countries, unstable job markets and unprecedented situations showed me the necessity to remain open-minded, especially in stressful circumstances. I’ve learnt to be more flexible, adaptable and trusting towards plans that I may not have previously envisioned for myself. This has allowed me to live in many countries, work in the middle of the ocean, become open to different opportunities and gain experiences in a range of industries, which I may not have considered without my adjusted mindset.
What is the best piece of advice you have been given?
Nothing worth having comes easy. Life will continue to challenge us and give us opportunities to grow, until we learn meaningful lessons. During these moments of difficulty, we are able to show our true strength of character and perseverance to find solutions instead of problems. I think that being dedicated and committed to individual goals will help you go far in life, and would advise anyone to improve these traits both personally and professionally.
What have you learned since graduating that could be helpful to other graduates like you?
No skill, job or experience is ever wasted. Since graduating, I’ve had multiple roles in various industries and developed a range of skills. Some may see this as an aimless scattergun
approach, whereas I try to find value in every opportunity to learn. For example, I’ve taken online courses in marketing, computer programming, coding, HR and Spanish to develop tangible skills, and also continued volunteering, networking and travelling to expand interpersonal abilities. Remain open to new opportunities, even if they are not necessarily linked to your degree subject, because you never know where they could lead!
Can you recommend us something?
For current students, I would recommend joining plenty of societies alongside academic work. If you can volunteer to become part of a committee and take further responsibilities, even better! You will meet people outside your course, improve personal wellbeing by committing time to extracurricular interests, and gain relevant experiences to discuss in future interviews.
For linguists and language learners, the expression “use it or lose it” is absolutely true. Keep practicing foreign languages as much as possible. There are so many apps and websites to make it easy to practice grammar and vocabulary daily in fun and interesting ways. Read the news, watch videos, read books and chat to native speakers wherever possible.
For everyone, I would recommend travel. The more exposure to new cultures, foods, people and countries you can gain, the more your comfort zone and world awareness will expand. Not only will you learn about the world, but also you will discover yourself. Oh, the places you’ll go!