I don't want to start with that "time flies fast" cliché. But it does. Summer is over, and so is my fabulous game design internship! 12Ds return as P4s, while the 13Js start the year that will change their lives.
I'm awash with a slew of emotions.
On one hand, I still don't want the summer to end. I'm extremely apprehensive about looking for full-time positions in the very niche gaming sector. I'm already steeling myself for the potential onslaught of rejections for "lack of industry experience". But on the other hand, I'm also excited about discovering what wonderful, almost-serendipitous opportunities might fit someone with my background.
On one hand, I want to go back to P1 and relive my early INSEAD days – the exhilaration of meeting new people, traveling outside my home country, and getting the chance to shift career trajectories. Yet I'm equally anxious about popping my INSEAD bubble and start laying the groundwork for the next chapter of my life. I did come to INSEAD to switch sectors by broadening functions, so I almost want to fast forward to December to see how that plays out. Will I choose life or lifestyle? Will I fall back on old roles and competencies, or venture buck-naked into something new?
This wasn't made any easier by the fact that a fellow Filipino 13J moved in with me last week to start his INSEAD journey. I couldn't help but wax nostalgic over his enthusiasm. I didn't even know it was possible to wax nostalgic over something that happened just 6 months ago. That's INSEAD for you – 6 months feels like both 6 weeks and 6 years.
So a BIG welcome to the 13Js who start Orientation Week next week! May you find what you are looking for. And as you'll find both painfully and exhilaratingly obvious after 6 months, make the most out of the best year of your lives!