The Valuable Generalist to be The Impactful Specialist.
I started my life again when I was 30 years old, in 2022. Yes, that’s right, I was a child who was born in an era where Westlife and Backstreet Boys songs were widely listened to on various radios and their cassettes were selling well everywhere.
If I compare with people my age, I can see that some of them already have some things that they can be proud of such as a stable career, a new family with 1 child, completing their master’s degree, taking a year’s vacation four times abroad and so on. Meanwhile, at the age of 30, I am still struggling with how I can struggle to live and have only one thing that I can use as a reference to continue living.
I began to think about the life between a generalist and a specialist.
I used to go to college for my bachelor’s degree but in my fourth year — which was supposed to be the year I graduated, I had to be expelled from campus because I couldn’t fulfill some obligations as a student. I have to focus on my recovery which is dealing with some mental illness to fully recover. So I sacrificed my school.
It happened in 2018.
After I was able to return to normal and improve, I tried several jobs that were possible for me to work. Yes, I did get some work I could do. However, with my limited being only a high school graduate, I felt I could not grow my career at a higher level and have a better income. Instantly I decided to study as many things as possible to support my career pursuit. I attended several pieces of training, followed several Instagram accounts to become more broad-minded, and so on. Until finally I decided “Yes, it seems I still have to go to college, at least have a bachelor’s degree. Don’t stop learning is the key”. This time I think about several possible majors that I can study, from maybe I will take psychology, business management, communication science, state administration, law, elementary school education, English literature, economic development, and many choices that I can take.
Do you know what benefits I can feel when I start back to college for a bachelor’s degree at the age of 30?
I can make wiser choices in more time! For me, this is a godsend!
Yes, that’s right, I can choose what major I need to take and find out what I will study if I take that major, which campus can I go to for the 4 years I study, which scholarship can I take the opportunity to reduce the cost burden during school, and many more responsibilities and rights that I can learn before I decide to choose what I will study. I can weigh and decide on an insufficient time.
What major did I take in the end?
I choose Economic Development.
Why did I choose this major?
I read a lot of opportunities that I can use later after I finish some courses that I find interesting. Especially I can use my knowledge to help many people. Yes, again, my goal to go back to school again is not just to increase my career level, but to be able to prove and validate that I am worthy to help others with the knowledge that I have and is proven academically. It is nothing more than proud when what I already have can make positive changes to many people/societies.
So, back to the first thought before I started school again, namely the thought of generalist versus specialist.
After deciding to go back to college, I wanted to position myself as a specialist in positive people and able to make a sustainable positive impact on other people or society. Maybe after I graduate I understand what economic is, and what economic development is. Starting from that basis, I’m sure there will be one, two, or many things that I learn that can be used to help many people to develop better.
This is just the beginning, and I’m still in good spirits. In the future, I will talk a lot and share what I learned and felt while I was starting my life journey openly again.
At this point, I can understand that at the age of 30, when I faced career uncertainty, financial instability, not being able to finish school following existing responsibilities, surviving and winning myself from the illness I suffered, it didn’t mean I had failed in life.
“I didn’t fail, I learned, and I’m grateful that my life’s experiences have been invaluable.”
And it doesn’t matter at all when it decides to start over again. Life is precious, self is valuable, so give the highest appreciation for every process and achievement that has been obtained.
Never stop learning. Don’t think that the bad thing that happened was a failure. And most importantly, don’t stop trying to be a good and positive person. Either for yourself or others. Be good constantly whenever and wherever.
Believe, that if you start any kind of goodness, either for yourself or for others, the universe will follow you with other goodness.
“Let’s live with full awareness of goodness, to be a light to the darkness!”
Last but not least, Queen has been said:
“We are the champions, my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions, we are the champions
No time for losers, ’cause we are the champions of the world”
Thank you for reading! See you in another story!
