A Learnt Lesson

Let me take you guys four years back in my life.

So, to begin with, I was pursuing my degree with a newly learned freelancing skill. After three months of learning and one month of self-practicing, I was able to get my first client via Facebook. It was a small freelance assignment related to video editing. And God knows I was too enthusiastic about it. Why wouldn’t I be? Like, for the first time, someone was actually willing to pay for my skills. I spent hours doing everything. My goal was to achieve perfection, like it really exists. Then I sent the edited version to the client. At first, days passed and there was no response at all. However, after a week, there was a short message: “This is not what I asked for.” Being honest, I was devastated. I wanted to argue about it; because, I had done everything he asked for. Moving forward, I just swallowed my pride and asked him to be more precise, also asked for some advance payment. He did accept my offer, and guided me on daily basis. Skipping forward, in the end, the client appreciated the revised work, and I received my first full payment. It was a small amount, but the lesson it carried is still priceless for me.

That experience made me realize something I had never truly understood during years of formal education: life, especially experiences, are the greatest teacher. It teaches us those things which are often impossible to learn in the classroom.

I am not saying that schools and universities are less important. I believe in the contrary. They help us understand the world through books and theories; there is also practicality involved in it. But there are certain lessons that no syllabus can fully prepare us for. Failure, rejection, patience, silence and humility are learned only when experienced firsthand.

No textbook can accurately describe the feeling of losing an opportunity after months of hard work. No lecture can teach the value of trust the way a loyal friend can. Similarly, exams are not the perfect one to measure our true courage and strength. These things are learnt through life and its wordly experiences.

Furthermore, one of the biggest misconceptions is believing that education ends with the degree. In reality, life starts after the graduation. Previously, it was a mere tip of the iceberg. Every chapter - both positive and negative - ahead is full of life and its complexities.

Perhaps that is why some of the wisest people are not necessarily those with the highest degrees. Because wisdom comes from observing, listening and learning from life itself.

Looking back, I still value every teacher of mine, who stood in front of a blackboard and everything they taught me. But if someone asked me where I learned the lessons that changed me the most, my answer would be simple: that one experience of my life. A single realistic experience, which was my own, transformed me. Because the most valuable education does not always happen in a classroom, it happens while living life itself.

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The end!