How great would it be if we had an UNDO button IRL?

 I actually think it would be awesome if we could have an “undo” button in real life, so I could re-do some of the things I missed or ignored when I was a student.

I guess many people would feel the same way – when you are my age, you’ve finished your degree a few years back and have been working for a company, and you realised you missed many things during your student life. I wish I could go back and fix some of those things that would have helped me more in this competitive world.

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Here are a few things I would love to re-do if I could just “undo” the time:

1) Visited the Careers Service

When I was student, I never knew there was any Careers Service available who would help you build your resume, cover letter, assist you in securing a job, and even provide guidance for career direction. If I knew this earlier, I don’t think I would’ve spent almost 4 years in the Hospitality industry. I could have done different, more relevant jobs during my student life. I really wish I had visited, or even known about the Careers Service earlier.

2) Participated in clubs around uni

Are you familiar with any social or sports clubs around the campus? Have you joined any of them? I wish I had joined or participated in a few more during my student life.

These clubs help you to make friends, share you culture, familiarise yourself with the university services, become more knowledgeable, and get socially involved. These clubs can also help you develop your communication, teamwork, and networking skills (to name a few) which could really add value to your professional development.

3) Looked for jobs on-campus

I wasn’t aware that there were many job opportunities available to students at my own University when I was a student. I always thought this would probably be for more professional or experienced people, but definitely not for a student like me. I thought that I was just a student and probably didn’t have the right skills, or that I needed to have completed my degree to undertake those roles.

However, I was wrong; there are many jobs on-campus, where they are actually looking for a student. There is no need to complete a degree or to have experience to do some of those jobs. For example, at UTS we advertise many opportunities, like admin support roles, some research positions, or even phone outreach jobs that are looking for students.

Therefore, instead of looking externally and worrying that you are not right for the job, it could be better to look at the jobs available on-campus first, and speak with the Careers Service. I would definitely do this if I could “undo” some of the time from my life.

4) Volunteering work

I was always busy with a lecture, an assignment, my part-time work or hanging out with my friends when I was a student. I never had the chance to undertake volunteering work.

Do you know this work adds value to your resume? You develop many skills while completing volunteering work – dealing with people, communication skills, empathy, interpersonal skills – some of the most valuable transferrable skills you can learn.

Plus, employers these days look at your participation and your contribution to society too. I was young and energetic, and I really wished I could have given some of my time to work for these organisations.

 5) Listened to my parents or teachers

Obviously, another thing I would love to do if I can “undo” the time, is listen to the advice from my parents and teachers.

Our parents and teachers are experienced people – they learned many things throughout their lives and they care for us. My mom always used to ask me to spend less time watching TV and instead spend some of that time learning new skills or doing extracurricular activities. I wish I had listened to her and travelled or did music classes.

I know an “undo” button doesn’t exist in real life, and until some scientists invent one, I strongly recommend you grab all the opportunities you come across your student life.

Your student life is very precious and your future depends on it. The more you hone your skills, the better chance you have to live a happy and successful life

I do not regret what I have achieved or done throughout my life, but I could have done more – and if I had I wouldn’t be thinking about that “undo” button right now!

Featured image courtesy of Unsplash