Mistakes, Higher Education, and Bright Futures

Translation: Julie Summers

Dealing with mistakes can be difficult, especially when they affect your performance in school. But we all make mistakes. Most of us, at some point in our lives, have gotten a bad grade, submitted an assignment late, failed an exam, or even failed a course. Whatever the reason – whether it was a personal problem, a global pandemic, or a sense of being overwhelmed by the mountain of books, notes, assignments, and exams in front of you – the only thing that matters is how you deal with the setback. 

It’s impossible to go through life without collecting some mistakes along the way. But as they say, a collection of mistakes is called experience, and mistakes are one of the best ways to learn. That’s also true when it comes to your studies. Although it can be hard to pick yourself up and try again when you look at your grade on that last exam, it isn’t impossible.

Katrín Viðarsdóttir and Gerður Huld Arinbjarnardóttir can both attest to that, as both have faced some sort of struggles in their studies.

Gerður Arinbjarnardóttir is the manager of Blush, a company she founded ten years ago while on maternity leave. She has not completed any schooling beyond compulsory education.

Katrín is an undergraduate in her second year studying linguistics at the University of Iceland. She also works part-time. In 2016, while in her last year of junior college, she was diagnosed with ADD.

When did you start noticing that you were struggling in school?

I started noticing problems when I was around 9 to 10 years old. It became clear that I had trouble reading, and it took me much longer than other kids to learn how to read. As the years went by, it was obvious that I was dyslexic, and as a result, school was generally difficult for me.

I first started noticing problems in school when I was diagnosed with ADD. I felt like I’d hit a wall in my studies. Up to that point, I’d always just coasted through with fives and sixes. But that was no longer an option, and I had to learn how to learn all over again. Because of that, I didn’t finish junior college until 2019.

Do you think there was a particular reason why you struggled?

I was really uninterested. I think I’ve always been one of those people who wants to excel in whatever I do, so when I saw that I wasn’t successful with traditional studies, I lost interest and focused on something else instead.

Because I was so close to being done with junior college, I just thought to myself, “Okay, I’m just going to finish.” But I had no motivation, which I think may have partly been because I just didn’t know how to study. It was really difficult to sit at home and try to learn something I found boring (which I now know how to do, and that’s why I’m doing so much better in school).

How did you deal with not having reached your education goals? What was the next step?

I am of the opinion that everyone has an X-factor, some sort of strength that they can build up and harness for success. So for me, the next step was to find my X-factor. I quickly discovered that I was good at public speaking and enjoyed sales, and that was something I could focus on. I spent many years working in sales before finally deciding to found my own company.

After failing both semesters in 2016, I was planning to just give up. I had even less interest in school than before, but in the end, I decided to keep going. I’d tried so often that I had nothing to lose; if it didn’t work, it didn’t work. But I finally did it, which I think was because I didn’t put too much pressure on myself.

Are you happy now with how things turned out?

Yes, very happy. I’ve been very successful in the work I’m doing today. I’ve found my niche in life, and I get to tackle demanding tasks and learn something new every day. There’s something special about getting to see your idea grow and thrive. I wake up every morning excited and grateful that I get to do what I do.

Yes. I don’t think I would have ever ended up in the program I’m in now if I’d gone straight into university, and I’m glad that I didn’t have learning difficulties later on. If I had, I may have just dropped out of school. That being said, it’s over and done with, and I have no regrets about it. I just want to keep moving forward.

What’s next in your schooling?

I’m just going to do what works for me. I’m not stressing myself out about finishing as fast as possible. There’s no right time for higher education, and it’s never too late to learn something new. What matters to me is finishing. After all, most people ask what degree you have, not when you finished it, says Katrín.

Are you interested in going back to school at some point?

I’ve thought about it a lot and often had plans to enroll, but I never had the courage to finish registering and continue. I think it’s unlikely that I’ll go back to school, but who knows. Maybe I’ll be back in the classroom someday. In any case, the last 10 years have been one long and difficult education.

Do you have any advice for people in the same position, or people who aren’t seeing the success they were hoping for?

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You might think there’s only one way to go through university, but there’s no one standing over you and making decisions for you. You’re the one who gets to decide, so if you want to do things differently, then that’s totally fine.