Along the way when I was travelling for 2 months, I decided that when I find a job, my end goal motive is not for monetary rewards, but because I like it. I do not want to complain about my job. I want something that suits my interest in learning so that I will continue to learn on my own and not because I have to do it to earn money to feed the family. I want to believe that passion brings about mastery and mastery gives me passion as well.
Hence, after returning from all my grad trips and after I settled giving presents to people and unpacking and sorting out the unwanted stuff from my room which hasn't been touched since I returned from Tembusu, I started to look for a job on job portals like NUS Talentconnect, JobCentral, JobStreet. Sent out like about 10 resumes to companies that offer jobs ranging from engineering, proposal specialist, graduate trainee, and project coordinator. Got a phone interview from a program which I told them I do not like Engineering or technical stuff a lot when the company does engineering, so confirm kanna rejected. Also got a interview with the project coordinator from a company that does game and web development, simulations and 3D modeling. Location is central, pay was slightly below average for fresh grads and not much bonus, but the working hours made up for it! They made me a job offer and after some consideration, I think this would be the point where I hope when I tell my grandkids I can say:" and the rest is history"
Project coordinating or project management is interesting and I think it is something that I felt more interested in during my university days, be it doing my design project, ethics project, nanotechnology project, hackathon project, skating projects, tembusu projects, etc. I felt most comfortable when there are people around, working together to find a solution to a problem or to achieve an objective. Even when doing my solo FYP which I have mentioned I hate very much, I have always tried to learn better time management skills and communication skills to better complete my project. Maybe that is why when the job was offered to me, I felt that it was a right job fit that also enable me to learn and practice the skills that I would like to know about. These are also very transferable skills that will enable me to take the next jump in my career in the future.
In terms of company fit, I think I also found a right company as after staying in Tembusu for 3 years where there was not alot of hierachy and the professors are very close to students and leaders come from not just the seniors but also the juniors. Such a flatter hierachy is enjoyable rather than a normal pyramid hierachy where you feel distant from the top people.
I would say I am excited to start work! Yay!
At the same time, I am also aware that I need to start planning for the super distant future, not just the immediate future. During my last semester, I tried to start improving my financial literacy. I took note of this especially after one of the stocks I held had a sharp nose dive and I lost some money (might be small to other people). This made me aware that I need to take more responsibility of what I invest in, but not to give up on it. It is foolish to stay away from investment because I still believe that wealth management if done properly and diligently, it is able to achieve our financial goals (Long term: retirement plans, housing payment, children education. Short term: holidays, marriage, material goods)
At the JobCentral career fair I went to, I chanced upon a company that invited me to the recruitment talk, and thinking why not, since I haven't got any job or applied for one yet. It turned out to be a really good move for me as it exposes me to financial planning to help achieve my financial goal of being financially independent or financial freedom. Initially I was sceptical about the product, but after taking time to understand the mechanism of the investment, I was convinced about the credibility of the financial product and the company and decided to work as a salesperson part time to not only earn extra income but also improve my sales techniques which I think can be applied in many places. But of course, I think my friends are just potential clients at the moment as most are still studying or just started working and do not have the capital, but I think if the product and company is solid, in the future, the preparation I made will enable me to seize the opportunities ahead.
Lastly, I also wish to continue to teach skating during the weekends more to share the love of skating but gradually reduce the amount I teach to just one day per weekend. It pays quite well and allows me to enjoy doing something I love and something I know that I will always love for the rest of my life.
How can I manage to do all this and still maintain my friendship with BAF, babirusa, MEKids, exercise, play musical instrument, read, paktor, etc.? I came to a conclusion: My experience of living in tembusu with all the activities and crazy amount of fun things to do which I thought was the best part of my life is probably just training for me to achieve greater things in the real world. The journey didn't end when I finish university or leave Tembusu. It has only just begun!
