Hello everyone, I am Dugufeng, a former port coal worker, currently working as the person in charge of big data in a state-owned enterprise, and the author of the official account big data flow.
Although I told myself to be calm, when I received the EMS admission notice, my eyes still couldn't help getting wet. This year happened to be the 100th anniversary of the founding of Northeastern University, and the admission notice also came with a small gift.
The last time I received an admission notice was the college entrance examination 15 years ago. Although this time it is only a part-time master of engineering, but due to the difficulty of the whole postgraduate entrance examination, this admission is still of great significance to me. It's hard to sleep late at night, so I write this article to talk about my own path of postgraduate entrance examination that has lasted for more than ten years.
I have wanted to give up many times along the way. I am not young anymore and have a family and children. Every minute of study time is extremely precious to me. And the diagnosis of the new crown three days before the preliminary unified examination almost became the last straw that crushed all my hopes.
Fortunately, I persisted until the last moment, and I went ashore smoothly by luck! The dreams I have struggled for over the years are only a few that can be realized, and most of them die halfway. But every time I tried my best, only then did I get that glimmer of hope. Regardless of success or failure, when I look back on the past, there is only peace and joy in my heart, not regret and pain. This may also be the biggest gain I have gained from changing careers and continuing to learn.
Opportunities that can change destiny in life are not common, and those who can persist until the end when the opportunity comes are even rarer. But if you refuse to accept fate, you must fight hard and fight to the end!
After the brave sea and sky
To use persistence to break the lock of fate
indifferent person
Thank you for underestimating me
Let me not bow my head to live a more exciting life
After the stormy sea and sky
I turned my head and smiled sadly at the old heart
the one who knows me best
Thank you for silently accompanying me all the way
let me have good stories to tell
See the future coming step by step
If you have lost dreams, I hope that after reading my more than ten years of postgraduate entrance examination, I hope it can bring you some help.
1. Confused university, broken dream of postgraduate entrance examination
The first dream of taking the postgraduate entrance examination should be when the college entrance examination is over. Due to the neglect of high school studies, I can't give my parents a due explanation at the end of the college entrance examination. When I received the university admission letter, everyone was not so happy, and they all knew that I could have been admitted to a better university. At that time, although I also had regrets, I only stayed in my imagination and did not take any action. I thought that I would go to college and pass the test to realize my dream of a prestigious school.
After I went to college, I quickly lost myself in the game, and the daily Dota became a daily item. The postgraduate entrance examination has long been forgotten.
From the beginning of my junior year, the students preparing for the postgraduate entrance examination have been actively preparing for the exam. I also joined their ranks for a short time, but my self-control was too weak at that time, and I studied intermittently for a short time. Although in the end I took the postgraduate exam with everyone and became cannon fodder.
At that time, the number of people taking the postgraduate entrance examination was still more than one million. After more than ten years, everything has turned upside down. I have to admit that it is still the best time to take the postgraduate entrance examination during college, but I have wasted a lot of time.
Many friends already know the follow-up story. After graduating from university, I went to the port to become a port worker, and then Bei Piao re-learned programming and big data. Because I missed nearly ten years of learning and improvement. Only by constantly learning from my younger friends can I barely keep up with the script of the times.
Friends who don't know me can take a look at my work experience:
I also told my friends before that I feel that I have been paying off debts for my young self all these years. With the growth of age and the ties of family, learning has become a luxury. But if you don't continue to learn, the pressure of life will only increase, and the right to choose will become less and less. So nothing to say, just keep going.
2. There are not many opportunities to change destiny, and they are fleeting
Looking back on these years carefully, there are not many opportunities to change your destiny. Taking advantage of the upsurge of the Internet and running out of the port, he has already seized the last dividend. In the current market, if there are older friends who want to switch to the Internet, I do not recommend it, the risk is too great.
In the process of changing careers and studying over the years, it's not that I didn't have the idea of taking the postgraduate entrance examination. I can also feel that my whole person has changed since I left the port. Learning is no longer a pain, but a desire. In 2018, my job gradually stabilized, and I also felt that my foundation in computer expertise was still relatively weak. I re-bought the materials for the postgraduate entrance examination back then, re-learned advanced mathematics, English, and basic computer knowledge, and prepared to fight again.
But the facts are not as I wish, although I can calm down and study hard. But the voice against my postgraduate entrance examination is too strong. When I am 30 years old, I will give up my job, study for a graduate student without income, and then look for a job again. For me, this is another fate-defying feat, but for my parents, it will be a nightmare. I can keep trying while working, but I am afraid that this fact cannot be changed, so I still choose to give up.
Although the dream of taking the postgraduate entrance examination was shattered again, I still insisted on learning English and waited for the day when my dream came. Fortunately, a piece of news shared by a colleague last year caught my attention. Northeastern University has begun to enroll part-time masters in engineering management. Unlike MBAs, masters in engineering management emphasize the combination of technology and management. Dongdae University can also take courses related to big data. This is exactly what I want.
Although tuition fees are expensive, fortunately, classes are held on weekends and evenings, which does not affect work. Moreover, the country has recently reformed part-time graduate students. The graduation requirements are the same as those of full-time students. But I need to take the national postgraduate examination, which is not difficult for me. But I know this is my last chance before the age of 35, and it will only be more difficult to take the exam in the future.
The opportunity is here, don't miss it! I became one of the more than 4 million postgraduate entrance examinations.
3. Others prepare for the exam, I am risking my life
Preparing for part-time graduate students is not as easy as imagined. The exam will take two subjects, English II and Comprehensive Management. After these years of accumulation in English, it should not be a big problem to prepare for the composition. However, there are mathematics, logic, and essays in the comprehensive management. These all take time to prepare, the problem comes, I don't have time.
I can spare time during working hours to investigate new technologies, learn big data, learn data governance, and write articles. But you can't learn mathematics directly, that's too arrogant. Since I had a child, almost all of my off-duty time is reserved for my family, and I don't want to take up this part of the time.
Is there no way? After thinking about it, I finally found a solution. I still have time for lunch break and commuting. That is the time I usually watch football, play games, and watch videos. Although I am reluctant, I can only squeeze from this part of the time. I have nothing else s Choice.
I started from the beginning to memorize vocabulary for the postgraduate entrance examination, memorize mathematical formulas, and learn logic problems. I deleted the game, live broadcast, all kinds of short video apps, everything that might take up a minute of my time must disappear. I seized all the time and studied like crazy.
I remember that there was a big snowstorm and the company relaxed the arrival time. I didn't take a taxi and walked to the company on foot. I walked for two hours. While walking, I looked at the knowledge points on the back of the phone, and my left hand was too cold to move, so I switched to my right hand. The hard work paid off, and when the exam was approaching, I finally got a good score in the mock paper.
Hope is in front of me again.
4. Have you thought about giving up? Many times, the last time was three days before the exam, I got positive
Everything is going on in an orderly manner, and I am working hard according to my designated study plan.
The motivation to keep going is simple. Being admitted to graduate school, I will realize my dream of taking the postgraduate entrance examination, and I will definitely gain something in the process of studying for graduate school.
After finishing my postgraduate study, my academic qualifications will change from dual non-undergraduate degrees to 985 master's degrees, which can meet the threshold of many companies that value my ability but are stuck because of my academic qualifications.
But there are more reasons to give up, have you ever thought about giving up? Actually many times.
After all, it is a part-time graduate student, not as high as a full-time graduate student, right?
Tuition is very expensive, is it a burden for the family ?
What to do if you don’t pass the exam
The process of studying for graduate school
There is another reason that is the easiest for me to give up. You already have a good job, why bother? Why let yourself have no time to rest, isn't it good to watch videos?
But these actually don't affect the preparation for the exam. I will pass the exam first, and then I will talk about it. What are you thinking about so much. Just as I saw a comment from a small partner who questioned Feiquan's article: I passed the exam, and my life has taken another step forward. What can I do wrong!
The time soon came to December 2022, the exam was approaching, and the three-year covid-19 was at its final juncture.
At that time, the national examination was relaxed and postponed, but the postgraduate examination was held as scheduled. At that time, a large number of candidates chose to take the initiative to recover their normal energy during the examination.
But there are old people and children in my family, they are the most vulnerable, I want to protect them. If the risk of infection in the exam is very high, I can only choose not to take the exam, safety first.
Despite all the precautions, when there were three days before the exam, the whole family was recruited. The child recovered quickly. After I took good care of him, under the buff of multiple symptoms of the new crown, I took the national unified examination for graduate students. I stood in the examination room 12 years ago and looked around me. With a green face, it feels like everything is a dream.
Everyone has been affected by the new crown, and I am not fully prepared, but I have tried my best.
5. Realize the dream, in the dark, this is the way I want to go
The story behind is relatively simple. Like the college entrance examination, I am waiting for my preliminary test results and national score lines.
The admission rate for graduate students this year is not high, but luckily, I passed the preliminary examination smoothly.
After learning that I entered the re-examination, I didn't have the opportunity to be excited and emotional, so I continued to prepare for the re-examination non-stop.
I am still not the most well-prepared, but I did my best, and I have no regrets even if I fail.
Soon I passed the re-examination and received the admission notice yesterday. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Northeastern University, and some small gifts made the admission notice extra ceremonial. The postgraduate certificate and the admission notice were also mailed. I will go through the admission procedures at the end of August and officially become a graduate student.
Northeastern University motto: Self-improvement, unity of knowledge and action.
This dream-full night, I can't fall asleep. Along the way, the peace and joy I pursued after hard work became clearer and clearer, which was brought to me by everything in the past.
I think of 15 years ago, in the county high school, I went to the dormitory after evening self-study. The road was a bit dim, and I was at a loss for the future. I just wanted to end my boring high school life and walk into the embrace of games.
I remembered 11 years ago, on the university campus, when Dota was over one day, I went out to get some food. The street lights were so bright that I couldn't look up. Looking back at the four years of college life, I don't know that it ended so soon. But I got nothing, I don't know where the future is. I don't have any expectations, I can only go with the flow, wherever fate tells me to go, I will accept it calmly.
I remembered that 10 years ago, the night shift at the port, three in the morning was the sleepiest time, but the equipment happened to break down again. I walked along the loop, with the roar of the equipment in the computer room on the right, and the dark sea with a few faint lights on the left. I'm thinking, my whole life is going to be like this.
I remembered that 7 years ago, when the overtime work ended, the subway at ten o'clock was finally less crowded. I got on the bus at Wudaokou, changed trains and got off at the Life Science Park station. I walked along the path to Shigezhuang Village. My colleague just introduced me to move here. It is a house with windows. I suddenly felt a little happy and wanted to cry. I am already a programmer and have successfully passed the probationary period, but I can’t relax yet. I have to take a look at the new technology course I just found. But my life has started to change.
(Writing this, the old tears are coming down, I will go to slow down)
I remembered that 4 years ago, it was also such a night when I wrote my first article on the official account. Over the course of four years, many readers shared their stories with me, and I began to share mine too. There are many reasons to persevere, and having a good audience is also a very important factor. There are too many friends worthy of my study. With the ups and downs of fate, or to take the initiative to change, there will be two different paths of life after all.
Not long after, I should be walking along the campus streetlights on a weekend night after a day of graduate courses at Dongdae. This may be somewhat similar to the night after Dota ended 11 years ago, the street lights were still bright, but it was a little different.
This time the road is waiting for me ahead, raise your head and keep going!
Dugu Feng, written in the middle of the night in June 2023.
I have crossed mountains and seas
also through the sea of people
everything i ever had
In a blink of an eye, it's like smoke
i was disappointed
lose all direction
until you see the ordinary
is the only answer
i ruined everything
just want to leave forever
I once fell into the boundless darkness
want to struggle
I used to be like you like him
like the weeds and wildflowers
desperate and longing
I also cry and laugh ordinary
I have crossed mountains and seas
also through the sea of people
I used to ask the whole world
never got an answer
I'm just like you like him
like the weeds and wildflowers
Somehow this is me
the only way to go