Ordinary Road does not lead to Extraordinary Future

Sometimes we have the tendency to follow exactly what the rest of the world is doing. When your classmate when to university, you went to university as well (perhaps even the same university and take the same subject, follow the herd mentality). When people start looking for a job, you look for a job as well. When your friend is in a relationship, you want a girlfriend/boyfriend as well. And the same goes for marriage, children and career for the rest of your life.

I am not saying that we can’t follow others, but we must have our own mind to realise what we want to achieved in life, before taking the necessary path. Sometimes it is quite difficult to understand what we wanted in life in the beginning, show we shall pick up the bit and pieces along the way and realise it halfway through (hopefully not at the end). How are you going to achieve your dream if you don’t actually know what you want (do you actually have a dream?). I wonder if we could actually live without a dream for the future. If we don’t have one, then what are we trying to do then? Too much to ponder at this moment, so I shall leave this for next time.

I went to college directly right after secondary school (I was lucky as my family prepared some college fund for me), after fixing my mind to study on computers related stuff. I didn’t follow the path of my brother and sister, where they study commerce and accounting related stuff. I didn’t follow the education path of most of my friend as well, where they continue with Form 6, while some lucky ones get accepted in local universities directly. Many of them take up Engineering (especially Electric & Electronic Engineering), but I believe in computers (I was actually more into software, but I realise it at a much later stage). I feel like a minority among my friend, taking a computer course in a college, but I believed I made the right choice and didn’t regret it even a bit. I pity those students who take up computer science just because it is the hype or their friends is into it as well. If I follow the herd, I would have study form 6, study through public university and become an engineer, which isn’t bad at all, but it is just not me. Instead I follow my heart (with good guidance from my parent), go directly into a reputable college of Information Technology, finished a computing degree around 3 years and gaining working experience even before I graduated. I am a happy boy.

Though I went into employment, but I always wanted to start a business of my own (a software business to be exact). I didn’t concentrate much on climbing corporate ladder, but trying to lookout for things that interest me. In early employment, don’t work for money, but work to explore and learn. After 4 fruitful years in R&D, I decide to call it a quit and venture into my own business. I could continue to sulk in this working environment, but my heart gave me all the signals to get out. My dad was worry about my venture, but I decided to go ahead anyway. I was pretty naïve at that time, but it is a good lesson learned. Never try never know. If we are afraid to try, we shall never find out and might end up as a hidden regret in life. After another 3 years into employment (more business centric rather than research centric this time), I am feeling bored and kinda disappointed as well. So, it is the time to venture out again. I could in fact find another job and earning a comfortable 5K monthly salary, but I know that wouldn’t satisfy me at this moment. It is time to prove myself again, to see what I am made of and destined for: to be an employee or employer. I need to satisfy myself, be it for better or for worst (I think it can’t get worst, at most set me back a few years financially). As long as I feel good and can afford it, I guess I am on the right path.

Ordinary Road does not lead to Extraordinary Future. In life, we need to be adventurous and take some risk from time to time. It is okay to leave the herd and venture on our own at some point in life, equipped with some basic confidence and in hope of chasing a dream. A life without dream is pretty dull; a dream not chased is quite a regret. Success is not guaranteed, but action need to be taken to drive us there.