EDUCATION

WHAT WOULD YOU STUDY IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO COLLEGE?

If I could go back to college, I'm not sure if I'd study architecture again. I don't regret having studied architecture, because despite the difficulties and poor working conditions that architects have today in Spain, my time as a university student has been the best in my life. However, if I were 18 years old now, I'd study telecommunications, computer engineering or even teaching. Perhaps my life would be easier today, but also probably more boring.

YOUR BEST YEAR AT SCHOOL

Undoubtedly, one of my best years wasn't at school but in college. It was my first year in the School of Architecture. I remember it in a special way. It was the first year I lived alone, my first year in a big city and the year when I met some of my best friends now still. It was also a difficult year. The change with respect to secondary school was abrupt, teachers in college are much more demanding and I learnt what are learned about long nights working and those moments when the sun rises and you realize that it's time to turn off the light. However, I wouldn't change that year for anything.

SOMETHING YOU LEARNED AT SCHOOL

At school you learn to read and write, to add and subtract and this type of things. But I'm an architect and I think that we see the life in a little bit slightly special way. Architecture is a degree unlike any other, long hours in the workshops with your colleagues and group works allow assist you in making real friends and learning to combine work and friendship. On the other hand, in the School of Architecture I learned to appreciate every detail, to be curious and investigate everything and above all, to be always a little more demanding with myself and my work.

SOMETHING YOU LEARNED OUT OF SCHOOL

Outside of school you can learn many things more important than at school. Outside of school I've learned that the duties and responsibilities you've you have when you're a student are nothing compared with those you'll have later. I've learned how to be difficult it is to earn a salary and pay bills. That life often isn't fair many times. That, although some people have luck, normal people have to strive every day to get what they want and that we should learn from our mistakes. I've learned to make the most of my free time. But mostly, I've learned to appreciate the truly important things and try to care less about the insignificant things.

This is a wonderful piece of writing Inma. I have made some very minor corrections in red and some suggestions to sound more natural in blue/grey.

Notes:

(1) If you want to use the verb "allow", you would have to say "allow you to make real friends and learning to combine work and friendship"

(2) In the context above, you can't shorten "you have" to "you've". You can only use "you've" in this way if a verb follows it. For example:

The responsibilities you've got.

The responsibilities you've learned.

The responsibilities you've had.

or

The responsibilities you have.