By Medhaj Athilkar

This was originally posted as a five part series on LinkedIn

Five days from now will mark a major milestone in my engineering education. I will be getting my Iron Ring. For those of you who don't know, every graduating engineering student in Canada receives an iron ring to remind them of their duty towards society and to do the right thing. As the 5 years of anticipation turn into 5 days, I will make a post each day sharing a lesson I learned in each year of my undergrad at the University of Toronto. #FiveYearsFiveLessons

Lesson #1: First Year 2014-2015

The biggest lesson from my first year of undergrad was getting comfortable with the idea of failure and allowing myself to make mistakes. As a high achieving high school student, coming to university was a major change. Stumbling through first year was not what I had envisioned when I started university. But looking back now, the mistakes I made in first year, and more importantly the lessons I learned, played a huge role in my personal development. It made me accountable, more critically aware, and more prepared to take on the challenges the next few years would throw at me.

Lesson #2: Second Year 2015-2016

My biggest learning in second year was asking for feedback. Even though I had taken on a few leadership roles on campus, I had been rejected from most roles I had applied to. After getting over the initial disappointment, I realized that the only way I could take on more leadership roles in the future was to ask for feedback now and act on it. I am glad I did because the feedback I received highlighted many areas in which I could improve. For example, something as simple as using examples in your interview was something I learned after bombing an interview. Asking for feedback has allowed me to grow by leaps and bounds, and I have realized that being open to it is the best way I can set myself on a path of continued growth.

Lesson #3: Third Year 2016-2017

Third year is the hardest year of my program. School took up so much of my time that I started to neglect other things that were important. An increase in unhealthy food intake and a decrease in sleep led to my health deteriorating very quickly. What this whole experience taught me is that having a balance is important. Balancing work, socializing, and self care, (or anything that you consider important) will actually help you do well in the things you care about. This year I made it a point to balance these three aspects of my life and I couldn't have been happier with the outcome.

Lesson #4: Co-op Year 2017-2018

This was a unique year because I wasn't at school (except for the 2 evening courses I did for fun haha). Instead, as part of my program I completed internships at Procter & Gamble and at The Poirier Group. To say that I grew a lot during this year would be an understatement. One of the most important things I learned was the power of values to drive individuals, teams, and organizations. Until then I thought of values as only buzz words. But seeing how important values were in shaping good company culture, positive team dynamics, and employee motivation changed my perspective. It encouraged me to identify my own set of personal values that drive me. Today my personal values dictate what I choose to focus on and how I approach situations.

Lesson #5: Final Year 2018-2019

The lessons I learned in all my previous years came together in my final year. This year I learned to truly focus on things that were important to me and not get flustered by distractions. I began to prioritize tasks, people, endeavors, that truly brought joy and fulfillment to me (tried really hard to not make a Marie Kondo reference here). Doing so has kept me focused and has allowed me to identify the things that truly motivate me.

With that I end this series. I am really excited about all the lessons and stories that lie ahead. I'd love to hear from you about any reflections that you may have about your undergrad years.