If you’re reading this editorial, there’s a 99 per cent chance that you’re either a student at NAIT or a member of my immediate family. If you’re not a member of my immediate family and you are, in fact, a student, there is a 99 per cent chance you are going through one of the biggest struggles of your life. Pursuing a post-secondary education is difficult. It’s stressful. It takes extreme time management skills and I commend everyone who is in the midst, has gone through it or is planning to in the future. It means that you have made a conscious decision to better your life. It means you won’t settle for the here and now and you are striving for the there and wow!
Two years away from studies
I took two and a half years off school after high school. I was working and experiencing things in the real world that I never could while in elementary, junior or high school. I enjoyed these two years but I became motivated to do something else, something that would bring deeper meaning to my life. So, I applied to NAIT. Since being accepted, my world has changed. That is why I encourage everyone to figure out what they want to do before committing to a program or degree for the wrong reasons. Life is long and there are no rules. The only rule, in my book, is to be happy and to always be moving forward. As long as we are learning something and growing as people, we have already captured the essence of life.
Some pressured
Sometimes, it’s not the decision of the student to pursue further education. Some people get pressured into education that they may not actually use but that’s OK, too. Going down any path – right or wrong – will shed light on your life or, in other words, you’re going to learn exactly what you want by doing something that you don’t. Every person you pass in these halls is learning. They might be learning how to train athletes or how to resuscitate a person who is not breathing at the scene of an accident or, maybe, they are learning that NAIT is only a stepping stone towards more schooling elsewhere. No matter what, we are all learning something within these vibrant walls and that is what keeps the NAIT atmosphere alive.
It is said that the average person will go through seven careers in their lifetime. It may sound extreme to some but, to me, it’s not enough. (Insert meaningful quote about the length of life). The fact that we only have one life means that we should be doing as many things as we can possibly fit into it! In life, there can be many lifetimes. We can be as many people as we want to be, because every day is another chance.
The dictionary definition of lifelong learning is the “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons.” It is our acknowledgment of the fact that we can never be perfect but to always try, is as close to perfect as we can be! I know that right now, you’re probably feeling drained, exhausted (emotionally and physically) but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! “Keep on fighting the good fight,” is what my dad said to me once, when I, too, was going through what seemed to be the darkest of dark tunnels that was ever built. We must keep going, and know that every motion is momentum.
Earlier I had mentioned that in life, there are no rules. I should also mention that there is no manual, either. Whether you are getting close to your graduation or heading into second semester, know that it may not be the education we receive but the wisdom from the entire experience that will stay with us forever.
Taylor Braat
Editor in Chief
