A goal without a plan is just a wish

FedEx Express/Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge 2021（以下、ITC 2021）の国内大会でTOP3に入賞し、日本代表として国際大会に出場された高校生のK.S.さんがこのコンテストでの学びについて記事を書いてくださいました。

当コンテストは通常は対面で開催しておりますが、コロナ禍で行われたITC 2021は全てオンラインでの開催となりました。そのため、コミュニケーションの難しさなどの様々なハードルがありましたが、K.Sさんにとって新たな目標を持つきっかけになったようです。是非ご一読ください。

International Trade Challengeの概要はこちら
https://ja-japan.org/contests/ITC.html

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Any teenager, including myself, thinks that they are invincible. “I have the best ideas”, “Grades are subjective”, “I’m better than him” are all thoughts that have run through my mind, too. For some of us, this may be true, but we have to prove it somehow. This competition was an important experience for me to realize that things are subjective, and we have to find ways to appeal our crazy ideas in a logical, and organized manner. With the correct methods, any crazy idea can seem real, and in turn, any goal can just become another “wish”.

In this competition, we aren't appealing to teachers that kindly take into consideration our strengths and our weaknesses. We are appealing to business personnel that are trying to identify if our business plan is worth investing in or not. Thus, it required cold and precise planning from where to get our materials, all the way to the wage of each of our workers. Immense research and dedication was put into our work, and I believe that what I experienced during the challenge will truly be useful in the future as a student, and as an adult. For me, it was the first step into the real world, where someone equally as dedicated is trying to fight for the same spot as you.

What was most interesting to me about this competition was obviously the business aspect to it, but also the environment in which we were placed in. At the Asia Pacific Finals, we have 3 days to complete a business plan with a partner we have never met before, and to appeal that idea to judges who are very successful in the business field.

At first, this sounded impossible. However, this sense of the task being impossible was what ultimately made this competition so special, because it was possible, and I was able to hold pride in my own capabilities after it was all over.

This experience was a completely different and new experience for me, and a perfect platform for me to express the skills I had learnt at school for many years. It was crazy to think that the most boring thing we learned in school (obviously math), was so useful in real life situations such as this competition.

記載：高校2年 K.S.

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ITC 2021の国内大会の様子については、FedEx Expressのnoteにも記事が掲載されております。是非ご覧ください。

https://note.com/fedex_express/n/n9ee8fc5643a9