Too warm for Christmas
Hello there!
Yes, yes I know. It feels like years since I last updated. Past two months have been insane! So much has happened and I don’t where to begin.
Just kidding. Things were pretty ordinary. I got caught up with procrastination and it took me a while to wake up from the daze.
My exams got over in November and I was occupied with my freelance work and other things. I’ve been planning to update for a while now. It took me two weeks to finally login.
I’m here to let y’all know about a little something called the Live Project. It’s open to both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students at UniMelb. I believe there are two intakes every year. This project helps you learn to develop a business case and pitch your ideas to a client, lets you collaborate with students from different universities across Melbourne and assigns you under an industry professional for mentoring. Honestly, it’s an amazing opportunity. So you’re put into a group with 5 students from different universities. Then the team is assigned to a real-world client who is facing a challenge in their business. The team will assume the role of business consultants and come up with ideas to solve their challenge. You get three weeks to work on it. Stage 1- Planning; Stage 2 – Researching; Stage 3 – Final presentation.
The team I was a part of, had an amazing mentor who was willing to guide us at anytime of the day. The team was indeed a good one. But I dropped out after week 2.
Here’s why. Group projects! *groans*
The team work requires everybody to work. But the team that I had worked with, although an enthusiastic bunch during face-to-face meetings, stonewalled the WhatsApp group after going home. Hence, the work fell into the hands of the few people who took the initiatives. I get it, we’re on vacation and we have personal commitments but the whole point of a team work is to work together as a team. Sigh!
Even when the weekly report is shared on the WhatsApp group asking the team to look for gaps or suggestions, all you can hear is crickets chirping. So, when the client gives you suggestions on the report, the feedback feels personal and the fact that some of these issues could’ve been solved if everybody had participated leaves you disappointed and extremely dissatisfied. Therefore, 2 weeks into the project, I quit. Granted, the project was 60% complete and I’m a person who sees a commitment till the end. But my patience was running out at an alarming rate and I quit. Do I regret? No. Maaaybe, a little. But the fact that everyone gets a certificate of completion because of the hard work done by a few in the group feels more unfair.
I don’t mean to paint a grey picture of the Live Project here. It’s an amazing opportunity, indeed. It offers you real-world experience, you get to make new friends and work with veterans. If you get a dedicated team, then you’re lucky. If not, you better have a lot of blood, sweat and tears to spare. Okay, it’s not that terrible. You know what I mean! The Live Project is certainly a good addition to your CV and helps you to grow your network. But if you get nightmares about group projects like I do, then just don’t do it.
Now, I’ve celebrated Christmas during Winters all my life. Melbourne weather’s burning passion for Christmas is heartwarming. Maybe a little too warm for my liking, to be honest. But that doesn’t seem to stop the people from humming carols or being a little extra with Christmas lights and decorations. I guess it’s all about the Christmas spirit here. You know what’s funny? I never knew that something like a Summer Christmas even existed before I moved to Melbourne. Winter = Christmas, okay? But I’m curious to see how a Summer Christmas is going to turn out.
I wish y’all a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!
