One Year Into the Real World: The Reflection and Revelation of a One-Year-Old Berkeley Alum
Today, May 14, 2016, the Class of 2016 graduates from the world’s best public university walked off the Berkeley campus and stepped into the “real world”. Some of them will continue their academic careers at Berkeley or other institutions around the world. Some of them will take full-time jobs across the world. Today, these graduates heard an inspiring speech by the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. Like many graduates who graduated or will be graduating this summer, they will hear inspiring speeches from the inspiring people around the world. I would like to take this moment to offer a little reflection and revelation from a one-year-old alumnus of UC Berkeley.
The Berkeley degree carries a lot of weight, now go make Berkeley proud.
Your degree and education at Berkeley is one that many crave for. You are truly special. This year, today, there are about 7000 graduates from this institution in the entire world, with a population of 7 billion. You are quite literally, one out of a million! The diploma is not just an expensive piece of paper; it also carries with it a special halo and reputation. People from your same age group will look up to you. Younger people at Berkeley will come to you with questions and request for advice on how you did it, how you accomplished it. Continue to be amazing and hard-working, and don’t let your ego get in the way. Go make Berkeley proud! You earned it and you deserve it.
Smart and diligent, now go on and become an expert
Keep the learning going whether you leave or stay in Berkeley. 3 years of Berkeley taught me how to multi-task, manage time, and take on challenges, and think critically. 3 years of Berkeley taught me to be “smart” and “diligent”. 3 years of Berkeley transformed me from a hard-working high school kid to a hard-working college grad. But 3 years of Berkeley simply wasn’t long enough for me to learn everything to be an expert in a field. In the real world, the people you work with can be smarter or stupider than you; but chances are, they know more about the field you are working in than you do simply because they have been there for a longer period of time. Learn from them, be curious and be humble. Managing the relationships with people is one of the most important lessons you should and will learn in the world. At Berkeley, no matter how different we are, one thing unites us all when working together, we are all students, and we are all part of this community we call Berkeley. When you are outside, you will realize that people come from different backgrounds and privileges, people carry different ideals and agendas, and yet you still have to bring everyone together to collectively tackle a challenge or solve a problem. Learn to adapt and influence. Learn to listen and lead.
Berkeley is a microcosm, now step into the real cosmos and make a change
I graduated from UC Berkeley exactly 364 days ago and like many of my peers, walked in the real world. Unlike many of my peers, I left the familiar setting of the Bay Area and moved to Metro Detroit to work on one of my passions, sustainable transportation. Berkeley is a truly amazing place, for it is one of the most diverse places on Earth. The talent from across California, the United States, and the world come here to acquire knowledge, build skills, and reach their ambitions. Berkeley advocates the spirit of problem solving, whether we are engineers, scientists, environmentalists, business people, writers, journalists, or social workers. But don’t stop here. Berkeley might seem like heaven on Earth, but when you step out you will realize that the world is still full of problems for you to solve. Income inequality, environmental pollution and global warming, war and poverty remain our top challenges of the humanity in this century. Step out of your comfort zone for more opportunities to connect with the rest of the world. Go travel and learn about the world.
Learn how to learn differently
In the real world, there are no textbooks or readers, no world-class lecturers in biology or sociology, yet the world is full of information and knowledge. The world is ever changing and always needs scholastic and critical thinking for progress. Learning how to learn differently and from a variety of different means becomes more important than ever. Now that you have more free time from all the problem sets, essays, papers, and preparing for midterms, go learn with different methods! Grab a drink with a friend you just met. Read newspapers! Have a debate with a stranger online on an issue you care about. Take an evening class with people from different backgrounds and age groups. Travel to a foreign country. Learn a new language!
What doesn’t kill you make you stronger
Usually, what “kills” people is the departure of someone you truly loved. Two of the women I truly loved in my life left my world not long after I graduated from high school and not long after I graduated from college. You can plan for life, but you can’t plan for departures. Sandberg couldn’t have done a better job explaining the profoundness of departures, the true appreciation of what I have and had, the gratitude for the kindness of my friends, and the love of my family. If you are still alive, you have won. “Build resilience. Celebrate each day and every moment of joy. And kick the shit out of option B.”
Berkeley is not the end but the means
Nobody came to Berkeley for the sake of coming to Berkeley. You came to Berkeley because you believed that Berkeley gave you the necessary environment and challenge to make you accomplish your dreams and ambitions. No matter how different we are from each other, Berkeley unites us in that aspect. Today and from now on, you are in the real world, and it is about you. You now have full control of your life and how you want to live it. Whether you have succeeded or you are on your way to succeeding, don’t forget to look back and give thanks to those who made this possible, and most importantly, don’t forget Berkeley, who made it possible.
Today, May 14, 2016, the Class of 2016 graduates from the world’s best public university walked off the Berkeley campus and stepped into the “real world”. Some of them will continue their academic careers at Berkeley or other institutions around the world. Some of them will take full-time jobs across the world. Today, these graduates heard an inspiring speech by the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg. Like many graduates who graduated or will be graduating this summer, they will hear inspiring speeches from the inspiring people around the world. I would like to take this moment to offer a little reflection and revelation from a one-year-old alumnus of UC Berkeley.
The Berkeley degree carries a lot of weight, now go make Berkeley proud.
Your degree and education at Berkeley is one that many crave for. You are truly special. This year, today, there are about 7000 graduates from this institution in the entire world, with a population of 7 billion. You are quite literally, one out of a million! The diploma is not just an expensive piece of paper; it also carries with it a special halo and reputation. People from your same age group will look up to you. Younger people at Berkeley will come to you with questions and request for advice on how you did it, how you accomplished it. Continue to be amazing and hard-working, and don’t let your ego get in the way. Go make Berkeley proud! You earned it and you deserve it.
Smart and diligent, now go on and become an expert
Keep the learning going whether you leave or stay in Berkeley. 3 years of Berkeley taught me how to multi-task, manage time, and take on challenges, and think critically. 3 years of Berkeley taught me to be “smart” and “diligent”. 3 years of Berkeley transformed me from a hard-working high school kid to a hard-working college grad. But 3 years of Berkeley simply wasn’t long enough for me to learn everything to be an expert in a field. In the real world, the people you work with can be smarter or stupider than you; but chances are, they know more about the field you are working in than you do simply because they have been there for a longer period of time. Learn from them, be curious and be humble. Managing the relationships with people is one of the most important lessons you should and will learn in the world. At Berkeley, no matter how different we are, one thing unites us all when working together, we are all students, and we are all part of this community we call Berkeley. When you are outside, you will realize that people come from different backgrounds and privileges, people carry different ideals and agendas, and yet you still have to bring everyone together to collectively tackle a challenge or solve a problem. Learn to adapt and influence. Learn to listen and lead.
Berkeley is a microcosm, now step into the real cosmos and make a change
I graduated from UC Berkeley exactly 364 days ago and like many of my peers, walked in the real world. Unlike many of my peers, I left the familiar setting of the Bay Area and moved to Metro Detroit to work on one of my passions, sustainable transportation. Berkeley is a truly amazing place, for it is one of the most diverse places on Earth. The talent from across California, the United States, and the world come here to acquire knowledge, build skills, and reach their ambitions. Berkeley advocates the spirit of problem solving, whether we are engineers, scientists, environmentalists, business people, writers, journalists, or social workers. But don’t stop here. Berkeley might seem like heaven on Earth, but when you step out you will realize that the world is still full of problems for you to solve. Income inequality, environmental pollution and global warming, war and poverty remain our top challenges of the humanity in this century. Step out of your comfort zone for more opportunities to connect with the rest of the world. Go travel and learn about the world.
Learn how to learn differently
In the real world, there are no textbooks or readers, no world-class lecturers in biology or sociology, yet the world is full of information and knowledge. The world is ever changing and always needs scholastic and critical thinking for progress. Learning how to learn differently and from a variety of different means becomes more important than ever. Now that you have more free time from all the problem sets, essays, papers, and preparing for midterms, go learn with different methods! Grab a drink with a friend you just met. Read newspapers! Have a debate with a stranger online on an issue you care about. Take an evening class with people from different backgrounds and age groups. Travel to a foreign country. Learn a new language!
What doesn’t kill you make you stronger
Usually, what “kills” people is the departure of someone you truly loved. Two of the women I truly loved in my life left my world not long after I graduated from high school and not long after I graduated from college. You can plan for life, but you can’t plan for departures. Sandberg couldn’t have done a better job explaining the profoundness of departures, the true appreciation of what I have and had, the gratitude for the kindness of my friends, and the love of my family. If you are still alive, you have won. “Build resilience. Celebrate each day and every moment of joy. And kick the shit out of option B.”
Berkeley is not the end but the means
Nobody came to Berkeley for the sake of coming to Berkeley. You came to Berkeley because you believed that Berkeley gave you the necessary environment and challenge to make you accomplish your dreams and ambitions. No matter how different we are from each other, Berkeley unites us in that aspect. Today and from now on, you are in the real world, and it is about you. You now have full control of your life and how you want to live it. Whether you have succeeded or you are on your way to succeeding, don’t forget to look back and give thanks to those who made this possible, and most importantly, don’t forget Berkeley, who made it possible.