26 Mar  | Written By Hailey Ng

Stepping out of university life, I suddenly found myself in what feels like my second year of being a real adult. Gone are the academic terms and structured breaks; now, it’s just me, trying to figure out how to navigate this whole new world without a syllabus. This transition has been liberating but daunting.

How do I decide where my time goes? I sometimes find myself missing the comforting predictability of that structured life, where the future was as planned as the next term’s courses. Now, the answers to life’s questions are not as clear-cut. There are no professors to guide me towards the right decision, only the inner voice that I’m learning to trust more each day.

Technically, nothing’s changed. I’m still me, but everything feels different. The same choices I faced now carry new weight and consequences. Each choice to take time for myself still feels like a small rebellion against a culture that often equates busyness with productivity. I still battle the guilt of letting precious minutes slip away, when I could be achieving something, anything. Every time I manage to listen to what I truly need instead of what I think I should be doing, I claim a small victory.

As days go by, I’m slowly embracing the uncertainty that comes with every choice I make and understanding that, unlike in school, actions in real life aren’t immediately followed by grades. The outcomes unfold gradually, and sometimes, the real impact is in the unseen growth that happens when I give myself space to breathe. They shape how I handle stress, how creatively I solve problems, and how well I connect with others. Adopting this broader view of productivity, including taking care of myself, helps me feel more balanced and, strangely enough, more productive in the long run. That realisation didn’t come easy, and even now, it’s a work in progress.

The paths in this post-university world aren’t clear, and I’m often unsure if I’m stepping in the right direction. But here’s the thing: I’m learning to trust that each step is valuable, whether it leads me forward or teaches me something new when I stumble. And on the days when it feels too much, I remind myself that it’s okay to stop, take in the view, and catch my breath. After all, the journey itself is part of the destination, right?

This experience, as disorienting as it has been, is teaching me resilience. It’s making me stop and really think about what’s working in my life, and for the things that aren’t, it’s prompting me to come up with a Plan B. It’s teaching me the value of pausing so I can come back with more strength to face the challenges ahead. I’m still figuring it out, but there’s a glimmer of hope that with each unsure step, I’m building a life that makes sense for me — a life that’s meaningful and whole.