What Do We Study For And Who Will We Become?

Kirill Loktionov reflects on the questions that almost every student sometimes asks himself.

Student life is not easy, especially at our university. Being surrounded by exams, colloquiums and deadlines, we sometimes suddenly ask ourselves: "Why am I doing this? Why do I need to learn this? Do I really need all this in order to find a good job?" We do many things without thinking about whether we like them, whether we feel good and whether we are in the right place.

I decided to express my thoughts on this subject, because I myself thought about these things frequently and I know that other students do this from time to time. It is very important to understand why you are doing what you chose when entering the university, because in this case you will better plan your goals and understand how to achieve them.

The world is changing faster every year: new sought-after professions appear on the labor market, technological progress opens up enormous opportunities and previously unexplored spheres of life and science. It is crucial for a modern person to understand by what laws a society lives, in what direction it develops, what it needs now and will need in 5-10 years. In my opinion, universities play a key role in shaping the necessary baggage of knowledge.

Over the centuries, the main task of higher education institutions has been the training of specialists in the field of basic or applied sciences. That is why the main emphasis was placed on the formation of students' hard skills, professional skills that can be taught and measured. The quality of education was checked through exams. Currently, most universities adhere to the initial principles of education, but in the context of globalization and a rapidly changing business environment, emphasis is also placed on soft skills - universal competencies, which are much more difficult to quantify. Sometimes they are called personal qualities, because they depend on the nature of the person and are acquired with personal experience.

In 2016, with the participation of the HSE, a study was conducted and it revealed a positive relationship between the development of flexible skills and the socio-economic well-being of people, which is why modern universities are trying to organize the educational process in such a way that, in addition to specific knowledge, students develop their behavioral and personal skills.

It is not by chance that I made this retreat. Even if during the training it seems to us that we are wasting our efforts on something that will not be useful in the future, it is worth looking at the situation from the other side. Any school - primary or higher - is a school of life, where we study not only a specific set of disciplines, but also ourselves, other people. The bachelor's program is designed to teach us how to study, think globally and competently, build relationships with society. During the first 4 years of study, we create a base that will help us succeed in our professional activities. “Train hard, fight easy”: now our body is ready to work at the maximum level, and if we are ready to sacrifice less today to get more tomorrow, we need to do this.

More than 80% of bachelors do not work in their specialty in the first years after graduation. In this regard, it is necessary to actively develop flexible skills in yourself and take as much as possible from the educational process. We never know where fate will take us, so we need to be prepared for everything. Read books, watch movies and go to museums, participate in olympiads and case-championships, communicate with smart people, while not forgetting about educational process. If you properly manage your time (and it is always enough, in fact), then after graduation you can become a person who can think outside the box in different areas, who is open to the world and does not stop learning, who is satisfied with himself and his life. Of course, you should not ignore the issue of work, but if this is the main goal after getting an education, a person runs the risk of being left without "Plan B" if something goes wrong.

It is also worth noting that you should not deceive yourself. If you have a feeling that you are not at ease, education does not bring any pleasure, it is worth thinking about trying yourself in another sphere. We are at an age when it is incredibly important to try as many new things as possible - this is the only way to find your vocation. As a person who was not afraid to change the place of his studies, I strongly advise you to listen to yourself and not to despair if the first time you failed to achieve what you wanted, because experience is a unique thing that sets us apart from other people.

Text by
Kirill Loktionov