Academic Success and Personal Growth: Tobias’s Summer Update

Reflecting on the School Year

Another school year has passed, and the summer holidays will be starting in a week. It is the middle of 2024, which has been quite the year for me.

My second attempt at the first year of nautical college has been successful. It wasn’t certain that I would pass this year. Around the halfway mark, I lost my focus on school, which resulted in higher absenteeism and lower grades. In periods 3 and 4 (from the winter break up until now), I worked hard to regain my focus. It took some time and effort, but I managed to turn things around quickly enough to get back on track and pass this year.

Learning to Manage Myself

Overall, I think the different medication I have been on this past year has turned out to be a good choice. I feel more focused on school, and I learn more during classes, which means I get more done at school and don’t need to do as much at home.

However, I realize that medication alone is not enough to manage my ADHD. During the time I was working to regain my footing, I realized that I need to manage myself better. Learning the skills to keep myself healthy and on track is important to finish school without getting into too much trouble again. Until now, I did not have the clarity to see this problem, but now that I do, I hope I can find some support without having to wait too long.

Summer Plans and Financial Goals

Now that the summer holiday is here, I intend to work as much as possible for two reasons. The first reason is to build up a financial buffer. The job I have as a lasher does not provide me with a stable enough income to save any money.

The second reason I want to work throughout the holiday is that I want to get my motorcycle license after this summer. I have been waiting to get my license for a while, and now that I am old enough to apply for a permanent license when I pass the exam, I want to start lessons as soon as I have saved enough money to finish the course, without the driving lessons interfering with my school results, of course.

Looking Ahead to Internships

After the holiday, in the next school year, I will have to choose my first internship. In the first months of the second year, we have to start applying for our internship positions. At the moment, I am not sure where I want to do my internship. However, I do know for sure that I don’t want to intern at the Holland America Line. People I know who work there have told me there is a strict hierarchy on board their ships. Personally, I do not work well in a very hierarchical environment. Things like getting in trouble if you address the captain the wrong way put a lot of pressure on me. These levels in a hierarchy create a lot of distance between people you work with, and I don’t enjoy that.

The companies I am most interested in doing my internship at are the heavy lifting and cargo ones, such as Jumbo Maritime or Mammoet Shipping. I find their work environments impressive, with all the big cranes and large cargo they move. I expect there to be a lot of interesting machines to work with as an engineer.

Ambitions for Leadership

Another thing I want to do next year is try again for class representative. I made an attempt last year, but I was just too busy trying to sort out my own problems. However, I did enjoy taking part in the student council at secondary school, so I would be interested in picking up this kind of activity again when I’m doing better.