{"id":52757,"date":"2025-08-28T13:51:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T11:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/?p=52757"},"modified":"2025-08-28T13:59:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T11:59:02","slug":"go-back-and-give-your-younger-self-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/go-back-and-give-your-younger-self-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"If you could go back and give your younger self advice about choosing a career or university, what would you say?"},"content":{"rendered":"

ISR Students Ask ISR Alumni \ud83c\udf1f Myla and Daniel get real about career\/university choices! If you could go back and advise your younger self about university and career paths, what would you say? \ud83d\udc40

Choose a career\/major at university based on what topics truly fascinate you. Having an interest in a topic is not enough; you need to be passionate about what you do. Remember that the direction you chose now is the direction you may stick to and want to ultimately enjoy for your whole career.
– Myla<\/strong>
Master Material Science and Nanotechnology Student at University of Twente<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be this: If you look back at the people in your circle and don\u2019t feel inspired, you\u2019re not in a circle \u2014 you\u2019re in a cage.<\/em> I wish I had understood this earlier. The people you surround yourself with, especially at a young age, shape your language, behavior, values, and even your dreams. Choose your environment wisely. Surround yourself with those who challenge, inspire, and support your growth.
When it comes to choosing a career or university, it\u2019s completely okay not to have it all figured out. I\u2019ve often been asked for advice by friends because I was very active in extracurriculars. My answer was always simple: Start with what you love. Think about what you\u2019re passionate about right now \u2014 your hobbies, your curiosities, your side interests \u2014 and ask yourself: Could I imagine diving deeper into this? Could this be something I\u2019d enjoy turning into a career?<\/em> Imagine doing it not just once or twice, but every day. Would you still love it? If not, that\u2019s okay too. Keep searching. The best thing you can do is go out and experience life. Try new things. Say yes to opportunities. Intern, volunteer, travel, observe \u2014 learn by doing. Real-life experience is something no classroom can fully offer. And Money will come. But it doesn\u2019t come from chasing it \u2014 it comes when you do something you truly enjoy, believe in, and give your all to.<\/em>\u00a0When you stand behind your work with passion and authenticity, great results follow. That\u2019s where real success starts.
As long as you\u2019re young, you still have the gift of freedom \u2014 freedom from major responsibilities like rent, taxes, or full-time work. Use that freedom to explore. Don\u2019t be afraid to fall flat or change directions. Failing is part of trying. And if you’re not failing now and then, you’re probably not pushing your limits.
Someone once said,\u00a0“To get something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.”<\/em>\u00a0That stuck with me. Growth lives outside your comfort zone. Take risks. Be bold. Say yes, even when you\u2019re unsure. You\u2019ll be surprised how much you learn about the world \u2014 and yourself.
And lastly, don\u2019t be too hard on yourself. Life is not a straight line. It\u2019s okay to be scared or insecure sometimes. But always remember: the only constant in life is change \u2014 and the people who thrive are the ones who learn to adapt, grow, and stand back up.
You have time. You have potential. And you have the right to take your time discovering who you want to become.
– Daniel<\/strong>
Business Marketing & Entrepreneurship Student at Hult International Business School

Follow us on Instagram for additional Q&A posts!<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\ud83c\udf1f<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISR Students Ask ISR Alumni \ud83c\udf1f Myla and Daniel get real about career\/university choices! If you could go back and advise your younger self about university and career paths, what would you say? \ud83d\udc40 Choose a career\/major at university based on what topics truly fascinate you. Having an interest in a topic is not enough; […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52758,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jet_sm_ready_style":"","_jet_sm_style":"","_jet_sm_controls_values":"","_jet_sm_fonts_collection":"","_jet_sm_fonts_links":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-isr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52757","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52757"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52757\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52788,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52757\/revisions\/52788"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gradtutor.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}