Everything I learnt during engineering

I know this sounds stupid, I could very well, write a single word to explain it all, ‘nothing’. But then, my four years at college, helped me figure out things about life and people. And yes, I’m still, technically challenged. (A note to relatives and neighbours: I don’t know shit about fixing televisions. Thank you)

• It’s Vast-You can’t know everything, stop trying. The curriculum makes you more stupid, mechanical and cynical.  You can’t do justice to a summarised course structure taught (did I say taught? My bad) in mere 6 months and master it. Stop whining about it, it’s time.
• Aukaat- So let’s face it, we’re not really engineers. What we were taught (I’m sorry, again) or expected to study was infinity compressed in four years.  You’ll always get, what you deserve. (Aukaat se zyada kabhi kisiko kuch mila hai? ) So next time when you cry about not getting a job in a core company, step back and try pursuing a masters’ degree.
• Bakwaas- So engineering makes you ramble technical shit. Remember the vivas? All you’ve gotto do is, make a grammatically incorrect sentence, and start throwing random technical words at the examiner at the rate of  25 words/minute. That, my friends, will take you far.
• Avoid Manipulation- Yes, you read it right. It’s time we stand by our own decisions, good or bad. Our faults. Our weaknesses. Life’s short, keep it simple. Respect your decisions and learn to face the consequences. Even if that screws you up today, five years down the line, you’d be proud of yourself. Honesty makes your life simpler. Trust me.
• Stop pleasing people-As a rule, people are idiots. No, not you. People. At the end of the day, even if you’re sugar coated, someone will hate you. Like I do. So why so much effort?  Accept the fact, that you can’t be liked by everyone. Stop caring. Do what you love. Forget what the people want or think or are talking about. You like dancing in the rain? Do that. You like those pink shoes, get them. People have an opinion about anything and everything under the sun, stop bothering yourself listening to them.
• Stop Ranting- Even if 100 things are wrong with the system, I bet atleast 50 are wrong at your end. For instance, I wrote a thousand satirical letters to my teachers indicating how they were ruining our lives and how they sucked at teaching etc but I never went back home to study/google things on my own. Did you?
• Acknowledge- So India is a country where getting human rights is a privilege , where 37% of the population lies below the poverty line and as per the international benchmarks, 40% Indians are extremely poor. We’ve been given, probably, the best education, food, healthcare facilities. We have a lot of opportunities, a lot to look forward to, on the other hand, thousands are still on the road sans any shelter, food or potable water. We’re blessed. Have we ever acknowledged that?  
• Respect- I know college is all about, how cool you come across among your peers, juniors, lecturers etcetera. But always remember to draw the line. Always follow the mutual respect concept. Give and take. No, insulting your teacher isn’t cool. Also, respect yourself. If you don’t, nobody will.
• Appreciate the diversity- So, there’s a variety of people in this world. And trust me, you don’t have a clue about what they think, what they do, how they perceive things, how logically/illogically sound they are. You don’t know a shit about them. You can’t. All you can do is, control your actions and stop wasting your time figuring out what others’ are upto. Life’s too short to fix someone else’s shit. Don’t clutter you mind with unnecessary shit. Again, keep it simple.  
• Extract Happiness- Happiness isn’t conditional, you don’t need a reason to be happy. It’s a state of mind. Stop seeking reasons. Always, extract positivity from people and move on to the next. Learn from people. Everybody has something to offer. Talk to them about it. Don’t talk to them about their troubles, ask them about their dreams and aspirations, ask them about their passions.  
• Stop writing/talking. Start doing- So, I’m a live example of writing things and doing nothing.  Like what I’m doing right now. But, the good thing is I’ve figured it out. Have you? And someone told me, life’s too short to be bored. Don’t you think so?

Yes that’s everything I learnt during these four years. I don’t remember anything I learnt as a part of our curriculum, though. All I remember, is a series of random technical words. For now, I think that should be enough.  Or maybe not. What did you learn?