Personal Musings

In many of my previous blog posts I wrote about university and how to find one’s way through it. In them I reflected on my personal experience with studying. I think that studying is much better than going to school. I am much more independent now than I was at school; I can select the courses I want to do myself; and I don’t have to attend university every day. But most importantly, I’ve been able to acquire a sound knowledge in various fields. In my English studies I learned, among other things, how to do professional research, how to write an academic paper, how to communicate in English and how to interpret linguistic signs, prose and poetry. In Sociology I learned how to carry out observations and studies, how to analyze data and how to interpret the behavior of people in our society.

I guess that’s quite a lot for four years of studying. Not to forget the practical experience I was able to collect. Carrying out two surveys in the course of two university classes I took part in designing the questionnaire, interviewing the people and interpreting the data. I saw how complex this task is because of the amount of time and the detailed planning involved in it. In sociology, I also had to do a five-week internship. I worked at a flat-sharing community for teenagers who need social-pedagogical care because they come from more or less broken homes, where I saw how important it is to have an intact home with caring parents in order to develop healthy social skills. And how important it is to have these kinds of care centers for those who don’t have intact homes.

In addition to this sociological experience my English studies allowed me to come into contact with the world of employment. Working as a tourist guide at a sightseeing company for more than a year I went on sightseeing tours with tourists by car. I showed them the most interesting places in Salzburg (yes, I had to drive the car and explain the sights to the tourists at the same time – thanks to multitasking). I gave several tours in German and even one tour in French. And I was glad that I had to do it only once because I am not fluent enough in French to manage driving and explaining at the same time. But most of the time the tours were in English, which helped me practice my conversation skills. I came across people from all possible English-speaking countries. Being able to meet so many different people was what made this job so great, that and the regular income each month. Since I stopped working as a tourist guide, I give private English lessons to children from time to time. This is not exactly steady money, but as a student I appreciate any chance to improve my financial situation.

The monetary aspect is one of the negative sides of studying. I don’t have a regular income like someone who starts working immediately after school. I also lack several years of actual working experience. And this working experience is a requirement in almost every job advertisement. A potential employee needs to speak several languages, have social competence AND be experienced in working in the respective area for at least three years. These are typical requirements for most jobs of today. Doesn’t sound that easy. Especially without the experience.

However, I have been attending some form of school for 17 years now, and that’s the reason why I am looking forward to finding a new occupation. I am looking forward to finding my first permanent job and earning my living on my own. And I am looking forward to becoming independent from my parents and my irregular summer jobs. I am also very curious about which job I’ll be doing and where I’ll be doing it. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve really enjoyed studying at university. But now I feel the urge to do something new and to apply my knowledge to being independent and fulfilling myself.