I'll be going back to school on Monday after 7 months, like finally! I seriously miss going to school a lot. The past 7 months was very fulfilling for me, I learnt a lot during my internship and gained valuable experience which isn't something everyone can get just because they want to. (I was heavily involved in the project of shifting 7-11's warehouse!) The hard work I put in during internship paid off cause I got a passed with commendation for it. During my holidays before and after internship, I worked at AAG and lots of good things came out of it. I made friends and memories that I'll never forget, experience that I'm really thankful for and now, I get to be involved in their new projects! Through my internship I realized I really like to do project related stuffs as it's not mundane, it involve lots of elements which will provide you different experience in return. And when the project succeeds and goes live, the feeling of satisfaction is so amazing. 

Now to my main topic of this post. After another 6 months of lessons, exams and final year project, I'll be graduating. And this is where my most important and difficult decision comes in, what do I do after that? There are 3 choices I have, to study full time at university, to work full time first, or to work full time and study part time. This is a decision that a lot others are having a hard time making too. 

Studying full time

During this period you can really focus on your studies, experience being a full time student for probably the last time (I believe after you start working you'll miss being a student so damn much). However at the same time, you're not gaining any work experience at all. Many companies place high priority in work experience nowadays. Being a fresh-grad without any work experience may not guarantee you a position. Studying in university cost a bomb. If you can't afford it now, I will definitely not advise you to take a study loan from banks cause I'm sure you don't want to start paying off debts once you graduate when you could be saving up for your future house. 

Working full time 

Qualifications still play a huge part when you're looking for a job and in your pay. If you're doing the exact same thing as someone else but the other person has a degree and you do not, most likely that person's starting pay will be higher than you. And in some companies, even if you do more shit than the other person your pay may still be lower just because you don't have a degree. However, you get to earn money and gain work experience early while others are still studying full time. During this time you can save up for university and get a degree after a few years of working. Of course there are many other companies that will employ diploma holders and give pretty high starting pay too. 

Working full time and studying part time

This will be the toughest but quickest path, you get the best of both worlds. You'll get a degree and work experience at the same time which will definitely benefit you because many companies will be happy to employ you. However, the process will be very stressful on both your mind and body. Perseverance and effort will play a huge part here. So if you're intending to take this path, it's important to know what you'll be facing and never give up. 

So yes, I've list down the differences of all 3 paths but of course it's still isn't easy to decide. To those who are in the same position as me now, I think it's important to speak to your parents as well as people who have went through this so you'll have a clearer idea on these 3 paths through their experience. Whatever the choice we make in the end, I'm sure our future will still be exciting and worth looking forward to!