“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
This quote found me while I was on a short-term Erasmus exchange for self-discovery and self-development a few years ago. It was written on an arrow-shaped paper and at the end of the exchange it was about to be thrown away, but I “saved” it and since then it has been hung on the wall in my room. I am not a big fan of the motivational quotes you get with your coffee every morning, but this one really makes my day, even in those when I don’t feel like getting up.
I am still not sure which way is showing this arrow, but I am sure that is the right one. Why? Because my Erasmus experience for the past seven years shaped my personality and at a certain point helped me find what I really enjoy doing.
As a fresh university graduate, I am once again facing the road, doubting If I will choose the dream job or I will settle for doing something mediocre. I have to admit that soon after I started my university studies I found out that the degree I will have one day won’t be enough for me to feel confident and satisfied with my job. Perhaps it was the ambitious voice inside my head, but this thought followed during the whole 5-year journey until I finished my thesis. Thankfully, I realized too soon that if I wanted to develop my soft and hard skills in other fields, I had to either work or study for a second degree. I chose none of these, but I went on multiple short-term Erasmus+ programmes, followed by one semester abroad and while writing this, I am on my way to my second long-term Erasmus mobility.
Once again…why Erasmus?
In the very beginning, I saw in the Erasmus opportunities endless travels and meetings with new people, but in the long run, it was way more than this. Erasmus started positively changing me, the flow of ideas, good practices and exchange of opinions influenced me and changed my vision of life. Joining ESN was probably one of the best decisions, even though I became a member just before the global pandemic of coronavirus hit. However, I gave a chance to the network, to the people and mostly to myself.
Coming to this present moment, I am proud to say that thanks to Erasmus and to ESN I gained a plethora of soft and hard skills in a safe learning environment. As a teenager I was writing articles for my own blog, today I have the honour to be published in the Erasmus Generation blog. Also, during the quarantine I developed another hobby of creating visual materials, soon after that I became a Communication Manager of my section in ESN, followed by becoming National Communication Manager of ESN Bulgaria. I have always had an interest in Marketing, Social Media and Content Creation. Still, in ESN I had the opportunity for the first time to experiment, to be trusted and to create things that will impact many people.
Moreover, I naturally developed my presentation and organisational skills, and I became a better team player and leader of other volunteers. I have countless certificates for volunteering, but these are just papers. What I value the most is that I feel confident in myself when I add all these skills and competencies to my CV or simply to my daily life.
Talking about my career path, I keep telling people I haven’t found my dream job. Nevertheless, I have found what I enjoy doing – learning and then passing the knowledge to other people – students, volunteers, and friends. What is more, I admire to see how people learn by themselves when they have the willingness to do so. When they learn by doing, by experiencing, not just reading.
And so, how Erasmus shaped my career?
It is still an open question, but I am fully aware that I wouldn’t be capable of challenging myself if I didn’t have this whole Erasmus experience behind me.
If you are wondering “Shall I go on Erasmus?”, be sure – the answer is always YES. You may never know where this road is going...
