In this blog post, we explore how to convincingly convey the diligence gained from growing up in the countryside and the practical skills as an accounting major in a resume.
Growth Process
As a child, I was raised by my grandparents in the countryside while my parents went to the city to earn money. After I was born, my father felt the need to build a more stable foundation for our family. He and my mother left for the city in search of new opportunities. As a young child, I was naturally left behind. Under my grandparents’ care, I grew up as a farmhouse child, studying diligently amidst the land where abundant grains and crops flourished. My homeroom teacher, who was assigned to the rural branch school where I lived, repeatedly praised me for the exceptional promise I showed from childhood. He often emphasized that I should move to the city, where greater potential for growth and a foundation for the future awaited. He urged me to soak up knowledge like a sponge, grow, and become an adult worthy of my talents.
Having felt somewhat distant from my parents, who had left me with my grandparents to seek new opportunities, I wanted nothing more than to stay in the countryside forever, helping my grandparents with farm work. So, the teacher’s words left me a bit flustered. I was more determined than anyone to stay in the countryside, yet it was precisely my own abilities that seemed to push me away from that goal, which was awkward. Fearing that if such rumors spread, I might someday have to leave for the city like my parents did, I even deliberately got exam questions wrong. But my grandparents already knew about my aptitude through my homeroom teacher. They said I had a mind too sharp to be wasted just helping with farm work. So, starting in middle school, they encouraged me to go to a city a bit farther away, stay with relatives, and attend school there. While I’m grateful for that decision now, back then, leaving my grandparents felt utterly unfamiliar and frightening. I remember clinging to them, crying and resisting, begging them not to send me away.
School Days
It was a time when my outstanding academic ability, evident since childhood, allowed me to rely on my relatives’ home to experience a broader world and learning, competing with many other children. I sometimes thought that if I deliberately got questions wrong or half-heartedly attended classes, showing how truly insignificant my abilities were, I might be able to go back. But thinking of my grandparents, who had such extraordinary expectations for me, I couldn’t bring myself to waste time like that. Since I had no choice but to leave my hometown, I resolved to immerse myself in my studies with the determination not to be outdone by anyone, and I was able to achieve considerable academic results. Because I had to leave home to study, I burned with the determination to make them smile, even briefly, through my outstanding achievements—since I couldn’t be near to watch over and care for them.
My intellect, which advanced more rapidly than other children’s, was both the force that had forcibly pulled me from the countryside where I longed to live and the very source that established me as a child with a promising future, one who carried my grandparents’ greatest expectations. I believed that only by pouring even more effort into my innate abilities could I be recognized as truly exceptional. This conviction drove me to devote myself to my studies, often sacrificing sleep. Having left my hometown, the only solace I could find was in achieving grades that would please the adults who loved and cherished me, and in the occasional trips back home. Though physically and mentally exhausting, receiving praise from these adults who admired and acknowledged me made me feel my efforts were rewarded, filling me with pride.
Strengths and Weaknesses
I am someone who always strives to do my best to fulfill the roles entrusted to me and meet the expectations of those around me. While I was never particularly ambitious by nature, the support of my homeroom teacher, who recognized my potential, and the encouragement of my grandparents, who sent me to study in the city, instilled in me a sense of duty. I felt that, having been blessed with exceptional intellect, I must use that ability to benefit others and make a difference in the world. Due to my family’s difficult circumstances, I had to live apart from my parents for a long time. This experience taught me that to keep and protect the people I cherish, a stable environment is essential. I realized that living alongside the people I love requires sufficient financial resources. To build a solid foundation, I have invested immense effort and hard work to reach my current level.
Some told me I shouldn’t be swayed solely by others’ expectations, but should cultivate my own ambitions and goals to establish a clear sense of self. Yet I firmly held the belief that I shouldn’t live solely for my own desires. I’ve lived receiving the care of those around me, wanting to live up to their expectations and repay them. Therefore, I’ve always steadfastly maintained the desire to move forward in alignment with their wishes.
View on Life
I want to build a foundation where we don’t have to scatter and live apart, relying solely on my own strength. In my childhood, I resented my parents for not being able to be with me due to circumstances. But looking back now, I often feel grateful for how hard they must have worked from afar to raise me properly. Growing up at my grandparents’ house, most of the funds for my life—studying in the city, attending cram school—came from my parents far away. Because adults silenced me about it, I never fully understood. I only felt regret for my parents, who seemed to have left me behind.
Now that I truly understand the essence of it, I regret the time I foolishly resented my parents. I want to walk a path where I properly repay all the people who worked so hard for me. Although I was fortunate enough to be born with a good mind, allowing me to pursue a life of more advanced studies, I reached my current level only through the countless help of the adults around me who guided me onto this path.
Reasons for Applying and Future Aspirations
In my childhood, my grandparents, who devoted their entire lives to farming, envisioned a “high achiever” as someone working as a civil servant or bank employee. Whenever I accompanied my grandfather, who worked in banking, to the town’s agricultural cooperative, I would hear him praise me, saying, “My granddaughter is so smart; she’ll become someone just as wonderful.” Though I felt shy, I often dreamed of living up to those expectations. When it came time to seriously decide my career path, this childhood memory had the greatest influence. I applied to your company to fulfill that childhood dream.
If I become an employee of your company, I will dedicate myself to learning my duties and demonstrate a sincere attitude. I will do my utmost to repay not only the many people who have expected and waited for me, but also your company for giving me this opportunity. While I have diligently pursued my studies, I recognize that my field experience and practical skills are not yet fully developed. Therefore, I am determined to demonstrate a constant willingness to learn and improve, driven solely by the desire to fill these gaps. I will strive to become an employee who consistently delivers results that meet expectations. Thank you.
