This month saw a huge bunch of talented, hard-working people graduate from university. If you’re on social media, all you need to do is scroll for a few minutes before you’ll see the graduation gowns, hats being thrown in the air and the end-of-university-and-graduation celebrations. It’s an amazing time for uni graduates; after 3, 4 or even more years of hard work, meeting deadlines and having to juggle living out of home with limited finances to get by on, it’s all paid off and it’s time to start the next, exciting chapter in their lives. But what about the rest of us?
I didn’t go to university and whilst I do have regrets, I am still very much an advocate for the mentality that you don’t need university to be successful. And you don’t. That’s absolutely correct. At a time of the year where people are heavily focused on qualifications and degrees and which ones people have achieved, it’s hard to remember that sometimes.
Just because you didn’t go to university doesn’t mean you’re not as successful, talented, hard-working and smart as those that did. We’re all on our own paths and journeys, some of us will require a degree (I sure as heck ain’t seeing a doctor who hasn’t got a degree in medicine!), some of us won’t. But whichever way you swing, it’s so important not to belittle anyone else’s achievements. Don’t dull someone else’s sparkle – we can all be celebrated.
I’d also just like to mention how times have changed and people can make careers and make money online these days. But some people will not understand that. There will always be people stuck in the old fashioned mind set that you need to go to school, go to university, get a degree then get a degree based job in order to be successful. That is so far from the truth now but some people will always be stuck in that mind set. You can be anything you want to be, with a degree or without one. I admire everyone who has a degree, has gone to university for however long, even those doing Open University courses. I’m all for education. But I’m also all for hard work in whatever sector, creativity, big dreams, trying new things, taking chances and going against the tide.
I didn’t go to university. I wish I did. I didn’t follow the career path I truly wanted. I wish I did. I developed such extreme anxiety that it put a stop in my tracks. I wish it didn’t. But that’s the hand I was dealt and I’m still proud of myself.
I’m proud of:
– Starting my own online business (Neverland Blog Tours) and growing it until a point where I’m booked up 6 months in advance.
– Starting my own blog and working hard on it and growing it to over 7k followers on Twitter, 3k blog followers and almost 140k page views.
– Working with brands; bakerdays and Songfinch and having brands contact me because they want to work with me. Because I am a valuable member of the blogging community (as are you!) and they recognise that.
– Being a book reviewer and having books sent to me from such an early part of my blogging life. Having authors and publishers wanting you to review their books and trusting that that book is going into good hands.
– Raising over £900 for Cancer Research UK when I did a sponsored readathon in 2014, which I managed and organised all on my own with no help.
– Battling anxiety every single day since October 2011. Constant ups and downs and changes in the tide. Anxiety attacks, panic attacks, extreme nerves, not being able to leave the house. But I did it. And I’m here.
– Being a good person. Working hard and helping others where I can. Always thinking of others, mostly before myself and being resilient when I could have crumbled.