The 5 essential ingredients to achieve academic success

Get started. Think about what makes you passionate. Is it science? Then write articles, do research, build things… Is it filming? Then get patient to get that perfect photo, learn video editing, know body composition… Is it something else? Then do some thing else!

Stand out. As you may have imagined, there are plenty of other people who are also into your interests. How to stand out within such a multitude? Think strategically, that is, be creative and original. How does your work differentiate from many others? For instance, what would make a blog user choose your science website over some other? Perhaps you managed to invite Neil deGrasse Tyson to participate in your podcast; perhaps you are a coauthor of an accredited university. If so, you are most certainly reliable, making you stand out among the millions of fake news over the web.

Work hard. You applied for a music job. The contractor is analyzing you and someone else. Incidentally, both have a YouTube channel about music. However, you have seven hundred videos uploaded, a blog about music theory, and have performed throughout local schools to inspire kids to follow a music career. The other applicant has the YouTube Channel solely, with three videos uploaded. The effort you put in your work is more significant; the job opportunity is likely yours.

Take a break. It would not be a wise choice to spend the entire day, every day, working. "Why not," you might ask. Because of sustainability. In what of the following scenarios would more work be done?

Scenario 1: You work fifteen hours a day during the entire week during the whole year. You struggle, do not eat well and exercise, and have little time for your friends and family.

Scenario 2: You work fifteen hours a day during the week but take a break on the weekends. On Monday, you start again, refreshed.

In the first scenario, you prioritize your goals and keep pushing towards them, that is, until a mental breakdown. Then your productivity falls drastically, not because you "gave up" but because of a health issue.

In the second scenario, you did not waste time; rather, you invested it. You can keep pushing for as many years as you want because you built a sustainable routine.

Acknowledge your accomplishments. Take a step back and analyze everything you have done. Why? For two reasons. Firstly, you will get motivated to do more once you see the challenges already faced. Secondly, you can analyze your career's path and detect missing aspects to remedy it and become as well-rounded as possible. Do you miss cooperative work experience? Have you learned to code? What can you do to improve yourself further? The step-back process will reinforce your strengths and provide new challenges.

Like cake receipts, there are many versions; dark chocolate, white chocolate, coconut… Still, you cannot cook a cake without flour, sugar, and eggs. The same applies to a successful career; you may develop singularities that make your cake recipe stand out, but the basic ingredients (described above) remain the same.

Essay suggested by the Grad Coach site