Rejections and fails — is that the end?

I’m writing this article a few days after I got rejected from UC Berkeley.

My 21-year-old self experiences rejection from a top university and wonders if UBC (the other uni I applied to) will admit her or no. You know how my experience goes? I am so happy, sincerely. Let me tell you why.

At 13, I got rejected from Ayb High School (the best in my local area), and I felt terrible. I was the best in my school but got denied because I scored low on their maths exam. As a kid, I was so worried about my future, I started to learn economics which has nothing to do with my profession now, but I knew I was learning something that is widely useful. I had no path back then. I admired the people who never gave up — who were working 24/7 and were super talented in their job. Back then, I saw myself as a failure — imagine you being the best in your school and do not get accepted to your dream school.

At 16, I got accepted to the American Uni of Armenia (best uni in Armenia), the Department of Computer Science. And again, I was worried about my future profession. I’ve failed to write code, copied from Github my homework. I’ve gone through lots of math courses, I did a lot of it bad. In some, I was on the edge of failing. Meanwhile, I’ve learnt — not the maths, I’ve learnt to understand and pursue. I studied a lot, I did my best for all the math classes to score good, but exams got me horrible.

Having bad grades doesn’t mean I was scrolling over TikTok or shopping with my friends. This excellent path of failing was the start of my career. I was pursuing my dream of becoming an excellent iOS Engineer. I was in a complete study-work-freelance life. I’ve started iOS at the age of 17, and now I am an experienced iOS engineer in SoloLearn (Yasss, the #1 coding platform in the world).

At 20, I’ve scored D for the course of AI in my uni. Yet, I’m so connected to the AI world. I still read that Uni AI book and am watching for AI news in the world. I’m 21 now, and am trying to get into master’s with my low math grades, concentrated on AI and ML.

Now, why I tell you all so? If something doesn’t go the way you’ve expected it to go, it doesn’t mean it’s terrible, and life is over. Often the best paths go through failing. If I was accepted to Ayb, I could have never become an iOS Engineer. Now, If I was rejected from Berkeley, I may start my own business :). Whether you’re in SF, Vancouver, Yerevan, or in a small town in Nigeria, life is beautiful. Nobody is worth stressing over. Just be committed to your dreams, make dreams goals and trust the path.

Now, when I stand with worries of being rejected from UBC, I am so sure that it leads to better me — I’ll probably retake some courses and learn more. I have already bought a statistics course in Udemy, and I know that all the things in life — rejections and fails are things that lead us to better.