WHY You SHOULDN'T Always Work & Study in a TEAM – OR Alone For That Matter…

“Am I supposed to work together as a team or should I just take it solo and do my own thing?”

Those of you studying and working relentlessly lately have been extremely curious about this, unsure of whether or not working as a team or taking it solo will be your best option. Really - at the end of the day, you’ve been wondering as to whether or not it will bring you and your department the MOST success as you continue to persist through your work and degrees.

The purpose of this article is therefore to provoke some critical thought within you and to provide you with clarity and ideas that you should take from and implement - as you continue studying and working so that you can maximize your results and the benefits you can reap from them.

So I’m going walk you through a summary of my personal experience to bring you some value here…

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Most of my time as an undergrad was spent alone. In isolation sometimes, really. Doing work by myself, solely for myself and for the professors that had ever assigned me anything. With very little support from others…

Sounds a bit harsh but as for the VAST majority of my undergraduate degree, I didn’t spend too much time interacting with my peers.

I’d go to class, see my profs, see some familiar faces here and there... But I’d almost always head straight home - alone. Instead of meeting or catching up with others on any sort of a frequent basis - I’d end up spending most of my time working and studying by myself.

There is a HUGE number of you all that have found yourselves in such similar scenarios - and aren't quite sure as how to interpret the situation you're in, or you haven't realized how you can really strategically leverage your current circumstances to best deal with the cards you’ve currently been dealt at work or at school…

So to reiterate, my AIM here is to provide you with perspective and power as to what you can do and think. So that you too can strongly leverage, execute and persist through your own experiences as well...

It wasn’t until my final year of university and later during my grad degree that I had really started getting to know my classmates, colleagues and started working as a community – an experience and realization that truly did change my perspective and the way I approached many other things…

There’s an African proverb that says…

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

As for the bulk of my undergraduate degree, however, often times, I’d study and work late nights - alone.

THIS, 100% was a truly valuable lesson and experience - AND - I still and will always attribute it to such a huge part of my success today.

I learnt to consistently be able to motivate myself.

Something that MANY of you NEED to do but for some reason wait around for OTHERS to do for you - as if they owe you something of sorts.

Let me repeat that for you…

Motivating yourselves is something that MANY of you NEED to do but for some reason wait around for OTHERS to do for you - as if they owe you something.

On my end, throughout the bulk of my undergrad degree, I made it a point to not expect anything from anybody.

And I therefore 100% had to make it a point to rely on MYSELF - especially to get my studying done.

If someone was so kind or willing enough to help, I’d gratefully accept and would really do what I could to reciprocate the favor and assistance.

I’d truly be appreciative it. But I had never expected anyone to do anything for me. Again, I had always tried to just depend on myself.

Because you have to remember - that at the end of the day, if YOU’RE not going to do it for yourself, then WHO else really will?

AND - chances are, in terms of a college or university experience, that if you’re going to write something…an evaluation of any sorts (aside from assignments and projects)…you’re probably going to be going in to write that test, exam or certification ALONE…

I really don’t know of too many places around the world that support “teamwork” for “test-writing.” And I have a strange feeling that you probably don’t know of too many places either….

So you BEST make sure that you know your shit.

If any of you have been consistently studying alone, are struggling and don’t have any means to work with anyone else, I encourage you to keep on pushing. Play around with your tactics and study schedule until something works – because I guarantee you that you will find something that fits and works well.

I tell you to keep on going here because there is IMMENSE value in what it is that you are doing. WAY MORE than the very fact that it can, and with repetition, MOST definitely will get you the “A+” you’re looking for.

I know this because of the wisdom, experience and work ethic that I have developed as a direct result of doing it myself. As well as because I know that it is due to the fact that I had pushed myself so much, trying different tactics, keeping what worked, tossing out what didn’t and always making sure to move forward - that I was able to take what I had started out with – a “C” average – to later turn it into a straight A average in my final year.

As for those of you curious about what my cumulative average was, it approximated a B+, inclusive of all of the Cs and Ds from my first year, actually FAILING math in my second year of university and all the other hiccups in between.

Of course, my cumulative GPA (CGPA) inevitably did therefore suffer because of the low marks that I had – how could it not, really? HOWEVER, I was still able to bring up my GPA to an 11.2+ on a 12-point scale before the end of 4 years – so if this is what you too are working towards, you CAN get it done and can make it happen as well and you should stop giving yourself excuses as to why it won’t be possible for you.

And - many of you know that WITH THAT, and provided that there are institutions that do solely rely upon the marks you present within your final 2 years of your undergraduate degree - I was still able to enter into grad school at a top university.

So for those of you that are struggling with your marks, wondering how you’d even eventually be able to get into a graduate degree, or even lock in a particular job with the marks that you have, I sincerely hope that my story serves as inspiration and motivation for you to make it happen for yourselves too.

The MAJOR success of my final year however – truly is attributed to both a combination of my independent study habits and a realization that working together as a team for whatever could be worked on in such a manner – benefits and helps not only you and me – but really everyone who somehow participates, involves themselves in and truly takes part.

When you work or study as a team - with individuals that inevitably have different strengths, mindsets, perspectives and skills – EVERYBODY is capable of contributing something valuable…

No secret there.

Sounds like some common sense, right?

Through countless discussions about this topic though, I’ve come to find that common sense isn’t too common here…as much as one would like and hope for it to be.

So is it worth re-elaborating on this idea?

If it means that it finally might just hit you where you need it, knock some sense into you and stick with your thoughts, then…

Yes.

Yes, indeed.

So whether you believe it or not right now and even for those of you that are skeptical - because maybe you’ve been burnt by other peers or colleagues before and as a result don’t want to believe that it’s true…

Whether it’s solving mathematical equations in a way that maybe you wouldn’t have thought of yourself, or putting together and connecting theories to draw conclusions that justify a particular response at work- there IS something that each and every single person can contribute as well as teach – and there most definitely is something that each and every single person can learn.

So for ALL of you studying for your exams and grinding at work– whether it’s crunch time at your job or exam season at your school – there ARE key benefits to working and studying both alone as well as in a team.

If you’re torn between choosing one or the other, or if you’ve been limited in your choices as to which you can carry out, know that you are able to excel and exceed in whichever method you use- but that it’s more so dependent upon how you LEVERAGE your situation and circumstance….

THAT begins and ends with how you frame your situation within your own head. Your adversity can be your advantage – IF you choose to see it that way. So make sure that as you go through your week and your day, that you decide upon how you’re going to use it best to bring both you and your team ahead.

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To each and every single one of you hustling as an employee, student, entrepreneur, professor or even if you’re a wanderer and a nomad of life right now - I truly hope that this article has provided you with clarity, guidance and perhaps some much-needed insight as well as perspective on how you can best move forward as you work and study to succeed.

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As always guys, it's been so much fun connecting with and getting to know each of you more! Definitely continue coming by to say Hi, Hello and Hola! on my Social Media as well. Shoot me a message here on LinkedIn or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/nilushikay. Keep on trekking through! And have a wonderful week everyone!