As I approach the end of my undergraduate degree, I can’t help but feel a mix of emotions. Half positive ones such as being happy and relieved that my hard work and effort has paid off. The other half filled with anxiety. What is the next step for me now? Where do I go from here? The pressure just keeps adding up, and sometimes it can be overwhelming. 

The one thing I was quite nervous about was not knowing how to handle work life. Nobody touches on this subject enough but the shift from being a student to a working adult is a big transition, one that I dreaded in the back of my mind. For 4 years I had gotten used to my schedule of balancing classes and personal life and looking forward to the holidays that come with the end of each semester. Even just hearing about how my own friends have had to deal with this tricky transition period makes me nervous from time to time.

In Fall 2022 I joined the Career Boost Program, which is a program aimed at international students like me to help them gain work experience before they graduate. I decided to apply because I was intrigued, and the possibility of getting some work experience was something I wanted. The workshops gave me several useful tips such as how to handle interviews and how to write a good resume. After going through the application process, I landed a job at the OLC where I now work as an editor. We often work as a team and have frequent group meetings to bounce ideas off each other. Managing a lot of different content has taught me how to manage my workload and how to prioritize things. By continually practicing these skills, it has helped me gain some confidence in the workplace. The work I do at the OLC has now become a job I enjoy doing. 

The Career Boost Program and working my current job also helped shift my mindset in a more positive way. I used to always be so nervous about how uncertain the future can seem. But now I realize that uncertainty is something to embrace. Instead of always trying to control the outcomes, it's better to let the future unfold by itself. When you allow yourself to embrace changes, you’ll start to see that there are opportunities for you to grow, some that you never would have expected.