By Sadhbh Hendrick
Hello hello!
Hope everyone is well settled and back in to the swing of things. Week 3 has come and gone in a flash. No surprises there, I guess, but a significant week nonetheless. Cue beginning of tutorials and assignments. The fact I have already earned two free coffees on my SU card kind of pains me, but hey, 25% of the semester already completed (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I have found my libo seat of choice for the foreseeable future. A difficult task, as I am sure you are all aware. Requirements include: A plug, the comfortable chairs, ability to view enough students to satisfy nosiness, but not a good enough view where you will suffer potential whiplash from all the looking up and down. (I’m envious of anyone who has the self-control to sit at the window). Preferred but not compulsory features: Close proximity to printers, water fountain and relevant books. A fine balancing indeed.
This week’s hottest trend appeared to have been the colds and flus everyone was smothered with. Shoutout to the on–campus chemist for never failing to provide Lemsip/cough bottles/a sympathetic ear.
Final year student = final year project. My project is based on Green Energy, specifically carbon tax and, as I got the ball rolling on that this week, it got me thinking. Not to go all metal straws and bamboo toothbrush on ye, but off the foot of the UN Climate Summit and even the strike that took place across the nation last week, we really do need to cop on a bit. Pakistan said it would plant more than 10 billion trees over the next five years and China said it would cut emissions by over 12 billion tonnes annually, and would pursue a path of high quality growth and low carbon development. What can we do? Like I said, I’m no Greta Thunberg (mini ledge), but there is definitely an element of guilt and realization creeping in that we really have to act. For some reason, I feel like paper straws with McDonald’s milkshakes just isn’t going to cut it.
This week, the Career Development Centre organized a career workshop for my course and other related ones. Credit where it’s due, it was fantastically informative, but – oh my days – did it put the frighteners on. You think everything is fine when all you have to manage is assignments, projects, some socializing, the odd club or society and then you remember that you have to plan the rest of your life at the exact same time. It’s only mildly petrifying to be applying for ‘grown–up jobs’. It’s not at all overwhelming to think that career/further education is all just a stone’s throw away at this stage. Honestly. It’s fine. I’m fine. I’m not crying, you’re crying. You think applying for the CAO is bamboozling until you try and refine your search for a grad program/Masters/a beach where I can bury my head in the sand 5ever.
Sure look, it could be worse, we’ll figure it out in the end, everyone does. And most importantly, what’s for you won’t pass you. (Disclaimer: I am actually only 22, but, apparently, I turn into a 45 year old tea and ham sandwich–making mother with cropped hair in a Toyota corolla at times like these).
Until next time kids.
GRMA,
Sadhbh x