Why Building Relationships with Your Classmates Matters in Part-Time Study?

Sting can become a stepping stone towards exciting career and life opportunities – if you make the most of it.

However, studying is often associated only with responsibilities: lectures, seminars, assignments, and exams. After all, without completing these requirements, you would not be able to progress to the next semester or successfully complete your degree.

University is about more than lectures and seminars

This statement may sound a little bold, but I speak from my own experience after successfully completing 10 years of studying.

Although I can no longer remember the exact details of many lectures, I still vividly remember the interactions I had with my classmates. In fact, I am still in regular contact with many of them today.

The difference between full-time and part-time students

When I studied full-time, it felt completely natural that I would see Jitka, Míša, Mirek, and Milan at university again the very next day. When I studied part-time at Sting, however, our meetings felt more special because we only saw each other a few times a month.

Paradoxically, after all these years, we actually meet more often than I do with my full-time classmates. We are planning a reunion in Pardubice at the beginning of November.

The sooner you build relationships with your classmates, the better

As you can see, Sting has always been, and always will be, a great community of people. I am truly glad that you are now part of it too. So, next time you are at university, take a moment to look around.

The people sitting in the same room as you could become your future friends and supporters. They share similar interests, want to work hard on themselves, and will accompany you through the challenges of your studies.

I sincerely hope you find your way to each other and become friends. It is likely that after graduation you will all go your separate ways and may never meet as a group again, but it is always valuable to stay connected. That is why I encourage you to register for the Sting Alumni Club.

One day, you may use these university connections when looking for a new business partner, a colleague to join your team, or simply someone with whom you would like to celebrate an important milestone in life.

Important milestones?

Former Minister of Informatics and investor Dana Bérová expressed this idea far better than I ever could during one of her lectures:

"I know so many people who are now preparing to celebrate their 50th birthdays, and the only people who come to their celebrations are their colleagues from the last four years at work. They no longer have time for all the other people they once had close relationships with and have gradually lost touch with them. Now they would love to invite a school friend or a university classmate, but they have not seen them for so many years that they are worried they would have nothing to talk about."

It may seem unusual to you now, but this is exactly how many graduates can feel 25 or 30 years after finishing their studies. That is why it is important to maintain relationships with people outside your professional bubble as well.

Every bubble eventually bursts, but friendships can last a lifetime.

So, hello to all my Sting classmates.

Pavel Semerád
Proud Sting alumnus and ambassador