The most common worries that student’s have? Where do I start, they have so many? And compared to many years ago, some would they have so much more. Why is this, what has changed so much to load all these worries on students? Parents often ask how they got through life to date, how did they get through education, study, finding a job. Had they the worries that their children have now? Probably, but there certainly wasn’t as much choice, distraction and competition! In my opinion, these are the seeds of worry.
Let’s talk about these in more detail:
Choice:
Students, indeed all of us are bombarded every minute; every hour of every day with things to buy, try, do…it is never ending. Choices in Leaving Certificate Subjects, choices in Third Level Education Courses and last but not least choices in jobs and careers and own business initiatives. We have some control here and the worry could be seen as personal, though it is a worry for us. The other material choices can stem from people / businesses sales and marketing campaigns trying to make a living by taking our precious money (if we have any). Choice is good, but being able to decide what is good for me in the short, medium and long term and the ability to say no are critical.
Distraction:
The challenge to concentrate on one thing for a long period of time is huge today. With all this choice comes distraction. Distractions from people, media and The Internet can cause us to worry. What should we be focusing on, what is important, which thing will yield the best result for me? What do I want? We start to do a task or project related to our education or employment and within a short period of time, we have lost focus, left it and are doing something else. The power of discipline, time-management and of course a willingness to do and complete the task right to the end regardless of a distraction are life-long skills that we as students / young adults have to develop in order to survive.
Competition:
The world is full of competition, people who want what we want for themselves and others, things that are important in our lives in order to helps us get to where we want to be. If we consider the competition for parents signing up their children for a place in the best schools years before they reach Secondary School age (even Primary School age); the competition for places in Third Level Education; the competition for jobs / careers. We worry about the competition, it is natural but competition is good for us, it helps us to grow and be the best we can be. It also makes life more interesting and challenging. Cherish the competition, whether they be a person or material, respect their reasons for competing and consider helping them get what they want, our turn will come too – guaranteed! And remember, we cannot always win, but we can compete.
‘Too much information running through my brain
Too much information driving me insane
Too much information running through my brain
Too much information driving me insane’ – (The Police -1981)
