Debate, student council, basketball, drama, charity, chess – to name a few. These are some of the activities that students can participate in at schools, colleges, and universities.
Surprisingly, instead of choosing one or two, they prefer to take up as many as possible. This leads to them having to do them back-to-back and tiring themselves out by the end of the week.
Despite advice from parents and teachers, they continue their work. The question we have to ask them first is: Why do they do it?
The competitive education climate may be one reason. With students able to fill in gaps in their education through the internet, they need more than just grades to build a spectacular CV.
Colleges and universities are more likely to grant a scholarship to a student who performs charity work and holds leadership positions than to one who does not. Due to this, students worry they may be left behind if they don’t participate.
From a different perspective, some students take part in many activities as they explore their passions. Many teenagers nowadays have not set their hearts on pursuing one hobby and are still searching for their favourite.
Schools offer many opportunities for them to learn and grow in various fields through clubs, events, and electives. These choices can make it hard for a student to commit to a single activity, so they decide to choose the top few they are most interested in.
This allows them to build experience in a wide range of professions but makes it harder to master a single one.
On the contrary, instead of being too tired, some students have too much time on their hands. Especially during the loneliness epidemic of Generation Z, students don’t spend as much time hanging out with friends as they do sitting in their rooms, while on their phones.
One way to combat this is to take up a hobby. They can meet new friends and lead a more productive life.
From my own experience, I took up three activities in school. I led a journalism club and was an active photographer and assistant in my school’s photography club. I also spent some time trying to become a prefect but dropped out when the workload became too much.
I am grateful for taking part in these activities, which helped build my experience in these areas.
One piece of advice I can give is to know your limits when it comes to activities. If you feel like a certain endeavour is taking up too much of your time and preventing you from doing necessary things, take a break.
A short rest every once in a while won’t hurt. There is also nothing wrong with wanting to experience a lot of things.
A commonly used phrase that has been cut down is: “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one,” which showcases the value of versatility over mastering a single skill.
In the end, the best way to pass the time while being productive is by doing something you love.
To give the younger generation an avenue to express themselves, Twentytwo13 has a dedicated space called Young Voices. If you are a young writer (aged 17 and below) and would like your article published on our news website, send your contribution to editor@twentytwo13.my.
