Stress Less?

As I sit here writing this entry, I notice how fast this year has gone. I've only got two more classes until I have completed my very first year as a TAFE student. I've gained so much knowledge this past year, in this writing course. For one, it has made me realise that the responsibility for handing in assignments is totally up to me. I must admit that I soon became used to this, and slacked off a little bit when it came to completing and handing in my work. And this also made me realise that if I want a career in writing, I need to be committed to the work and follow deadlines.

The last term of this year has been pretty hectic. With everyone including myself, trying to get in their last few assignments and such, I almost think I'm back in my senior years of high school. Of course there are no Sac's or exams which is a bonus, but all of us have been stressing one way or another. But the stress I've been dealing with is so much different compared to VCE (high school) stress. Making sure you hand in all your assignments, and getting a pass in your subjects is the only things you need to stress about in TAFE. Well, there is probably a few other minor things to worry about, but it depends how stressful they are to the students. What is stressful to one student may not necessarily be stressful to another.

The stress that you deal with in VCE, is ten times worse than in TAFE. Apart from the fact that you constantly have to worry about the dates and deadlines for each SAC, you also need to revise your notes and class work and make sure you hand everything in on time. As soon as you miss one deadline for a SAC, you automatically have your teachers and year level coordinator hounding you until you hand it in. The other different things about VCE are that you have to follow a strict timetable, be on time for each of your classes, different class times, scheduled breaks, and the most important one: end of year exams. I believe VCE exams were the most challenging work I've ever done in my life, and they put an enormous amount of stress on me. All I can say about the exams is that I'm very proud I got through them, but they didn't affect my future education or career like my teachers said they would. I achieved where I wanted to go, which is right here in this professional writing TAFE course at Victoria University. And I'm proud to say that I'm doing what I love.


By Angela Hryc