Embracing Uncertainty

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With times like this, it's hard to cope with the uncertainty of things. This also goes for the feelings of uncertainty about your future. Being a third year student myself, with only one month of university left, I know the feeling all too well. I have spent 3 years studying a fashion promotion and communication course in the hopes that I would be absolutely certain with the path I want to take by the end of it. Unfortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth as I am still very unsure of what exact path I would like to journey down after graduation. And I've learnt that that's okay. It's okay to be unsettled and dubious, you are not running out of time, your life is only just beginning.

I think we all need to embrace the grey areas; it might be hard from time to time and we all might feel an existential dread that our lives aren't going to go anywhere and our number one fear is failure, but that's normal. It's a horrible thought but in the end, one way or another, everything will fall into place exactly how it should and maybe in ways that you never even imagined. We have the entire world to explore and there is always something out there for everyone. If you find yourself in a job that 6 months down the line you end up hating, it's okay to leave and try again. It isn't forever and there are so many opportunities out there to find what ignites the flare within you, it's just having the confidence to take that first step. I know the feeling all to well, lacking the confidence to do something out of fear of rejection and failure. When I came to university, I was terrified; there were multiple occasions where I thought of dropping out but I persevered. I met some amazing people and grasped every opportunity I could to improve my confidence as I knew I wouldn't get certain chances again and for that, I am proud of myself. Coming from someone that has major anxiety; if I can do it, then so can you. I've learnt the mentality that if something doesn't work out, I consider it as valuable learning and life experience and it's important not to let it get you down or to prevent you from trying. I know all too well that this is easier said than done but as I said before, there is so much out there for you to find where you truly belong and even if this takes a bit of time, that's okay too. Never give up.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"

One thing that I learnt really helped me was an internship that I did last year for 3 months, although it wasn't exactly what I expected, it still gave me experience within the professional side of the fashion industry and I wish I had done a few more over the past few years. Some days within the internship were better than others, but it made me realise that I would like to do more internships/work experience within different companies if possible, to provide me with the best experiences and knowledge. You never know where an internship can lead you and if you are like me who is still unsure of where they will end up, it might allow you to find something that you really want to pursue.

Amelia's important advice:

One piece of advice taken from my time of university is to embrace internships. These are crucial in learning where you want to be, and where you don’t. I wish I had placements in my first year, to really get my foot in the door, and maybe even get opportunities for when completing Work Based Learning. In addition, placements could even lead to future careers, so why not try and apply?

For all things internships, head over to @that.intern on Instagram and sign up to the weekly newsletter. Also be sure to check out our interview with its founder here.

“Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible.” ~Mandy Hale

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We hope that this post has provided you with a bit of positivity and reassurance that everything will be okay. We hope you are all staying safe and well in these circumstances and we look forward to sharing more things with you that we have been working on, so keep your eyes peeled!

Millie and Amelia X