Every week from 2 March, 2014, I will write a blog post about my life after graduation. I want to record down my weekly activities, thoughts, etc so that in the future, I can look back at these posts and laugh at myself for being a fool.
This week had been quite hectic. My girlfriend was going through her first week of her new job. It was not a joyful process. The first week in any job is very confusing; there is a lot of things to get used to, people to meet, protocols/procedures to understand, etc. I am glad that she coped with it with no serious trouble at all.
I was supposed to enrol for an IELTS test on April 5 this week. My email to the Kolej Yayasan Melaka, where the test will be held, went unanswered. Usually, people would call them directly to enrol into the test when the school did not reply the emails. Somehow, I didn't do it. I didn't call the school.
On Tuesday, my father's X-Trail broke down near Senai. He called me to go pick him up after he sent his car to a workshop. After examining, it turned out that one of the car's sensors had broken. Wednesday was spent on getting the sensor and fixing the car up. On the same day, the Kancil almost overheated. A quick check showed that the radiator was leaking. Thursday was, again, spent on fixing the small car up.
When my father and I were at a tyre workshop on Thursday, the mechanic asked him about my future. Father said that he wanted me to work in Singapore, but I didn't want. This casual conversation sparked a dilemma inside me. Just a day before this, my cousin had asked me the same thing. He was trying to refer me to an open job position in the company he works in. Adding these on top of my father's rant about how difficult it is to get a job in Australia, I was further thrown into the dilemma.
I had thought about this over the next few days. If I chose to work in Australia, I would essentially cut off my girlfriend's future employment prospect. She will be extremely difficult to find a professional job in Australia. She is not the type of woman who would rather sit at home and wait for someone to feed her. She is an ambitious woman, therefore restricting her at home would drive her crazy in the long run.
I was angry at myself because I had not thought about this before. I was being selfish. She has accepted the offer and is working now. It will not be good if she quits her job now. So I hesitated: Do I sit for IELTS, get a working visa, fly off to Australia and start a new life, or, as much as I hate to say this, do I stay here and work in Singapore?
I dislike Singapore. I find it too small and claustrophobic, with people thronging everywhere. I hate crowded place. Singapore is not among my top choices of place to work. Yet, as written in the post in week 2, we have to face the reality. Disliking a place is not a valid reason for not working there. Singapore Dollar is on the rise lately and more people are trying to get into the island to earn a living. Singapore know this; they have increased the foreign worker levy from time to time, thereby discouraging employers to hire foreign workers.
That is one of the reasons I had started to consider working in Singapore. Maybe it is not such a bad idea? At any rate, I will have to decide quickly.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
My life after graduation: Week 3
Every week from March 2, 2014, I will write a post describing my life after graduation, from relaxing (guiltily) at home to job hunting. Someday, when I am working my life away, I will look back at these posts and be like, "Heh."
My girlfriend has accepted a job offer. It is an auditing job in an electronics/plastic molding factory. After considering all the offers she has received, she decided to join this. Somehow, I have a mixed feeling about this. On one hand, I am happy that she has finally gotten out of the unemployment days and is going to start collecting paycheck soon. On the other hand, I feel that work takes away our freedom. Work means we can no longer loiter around the town enjoying food and fun. Work means you will be a slave 5 days a week, at least 8 hours a day. Work means the beginning of the largest part in our life.
But then again, I am happy she has started to get a hold of her life, whereas I am sitting around doing nothing useful or meaningful. My friends are rather envious of my current life, but I am not happy. I still don't have a clear plan for my future. What will I be? Where will I be? Those are the same questions I kept asking myself, every night and every morning.
The whole week was spent on getting my girlfriend acquainted with the route to her workplace and driving. She was nervous at first. Driving to an unfamiliar place is not an easy task. You have to memorize the route and any landmarks while at the same time be watchful around you. Traffic is not as safe as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Vehicles are getting more every year; drivers are getting more aggressive. I am happy that she handled the learning quite well. By the 4th time we practiced the route, she was already familiar with moderate traffic.
Now that she is starting to work, we won't have as much time to go around town as before. It has given me time to start preparing for my IELTS tests, which I also have a mixed feeling about. I am worried I could not pass the test with band 5 or above. I will have to, because the Australian working visa requires it.
Though to be honest, as mentioned, I am still not very clear about my future. What will I be? Where will I be?
My girlfriend has accepted a job offer. It is an auditing job in an electronics/plastic molding factory. After considering all the offers she has received, she decided to join this. Somehow, I have a mixed feeling about this. On one hand, I am happy that she has finally gotten out of the unemployment days and is going to start collecting paycheck soon. On the other hand, I feel that work takes away our freedom. Work means we can no longer loiter around the town enjoying food and fun. Work means you will be a slave 5 days a week, at least 8 hours a day. Work means the beginning of the largest part in our life.
But then again, I am happy she has started to get a hold of her life, whereas I am sitting around doing nothing useful or meaningful. My friends are rather envious of my current life, but I am not happy. I still don't have a clear plan for my future. What will I be? Where will I be? Those are the same questions I kept asking myself, every night and every morning.
The whole week was spent on getting my girlfriend acquainted with the route to her workplace and driving. She was nervous at first. Driving to an unfamiliar place is not an easy task. You have to memorize the route and any landmarks while at the same time be watchful around you. Traffic is not as safe as it was 10 or 20 years ago. Vehicles are getting more every year; drivers are getting more aggressive. I am happy that she handled the learning quite well. By the 4th time we practiced the route, she was already familiar with moderate traffic.
Now that she is starting to work, we won't have as much time to go around town as before. It has given me time to start preparing for my IELTS tests, which I also have a mixed feeling about. I am worried I could not pass the test with band 5 or above. I will have to, because the Australian working visa requires it.
Though to be honest, as mentioned, I am still not very clear about my future. What will I be? Where will I be?
Sunday, March 09, 2014
My life after graduation: Week 2
Every week (hopefully) from March 2 2014, I will write a post detailing my life after graduation. Later, when I am working my life away and having a family, I will look back at these posts and be like, "Heh."
There was no badminton session last Saturday. My friends seemed to be busy with their own life, either working or having fun time with other people. So there is no more "have-you-found-a-job" type of questions.
Having no idea where my future leads to, I was busy helping my girlfriend with her job applications and interviews instead. She was quite reluctant in finding a job in her field, but we all have to face the reality somehow. The society nowadays has often shaped us into mindless robot, working to make ends meet. Reality sometimes forces us to give up our dreams, because our dreams "just seem too farfetched."
Sure, we can let go of everything and take the risk of working towards our dreams. That is how successful people always advise us to do. "Take the leap of faith." It takes a lot of courage and perseverance to do that, because sometimes our dreams are not really suitable in current society.
When I was young and naive, I used to be dreaming to be an astronaut, which sounds rather silly. When I have grown up, I realise that things aren't always as easy as we think. Being an astronaut requires rigorous training; military background is almost always a must. The fact that I am living in a developing and rather unstable country means my chance of realising my dream is really slim. So I decided to give up and chose a more realistic path: becoming a professional.
I hated electronics. When I was in secondary school, my best friend asked me to join the Electronics Club with him. It was not a popular choice at that time. I remember there were only the two of us in the class. Most of the students either joined the brigade, uniformed bodies like scouts, bomba, etc, or simply ponteng. I had hard time understanding circuits, which made me hateful towards electronics.
It was not a well-thought decision when I chose to enrol into electrical and electronics (E&E) engineering in Taylor's University. I was not really interested in the other engineering courses, mechanical and chemical. With the guidance from several good lecturers, I slowly developed an interest in electronics. I did not regret choosing the course.
But becoming a professional engineer is never my dream. It is due to the society pressure that I have to choose to be a professional. During my graduation, I witnessed the sheer amount of graduates my university churned out every year. The world suddenly becomes a giant competition; every graduate is fighting for a place. Without a degree, we stand no chance in getting a respected job or climbing up the corporate ladder. Society has shaped us into mindless robots.
Seeing my girlfriend attending interviews made me feel proud of her. She walked into the offices alone and got interviewed by professional people. She does not even speak fluent English, which is exactly why I admire her. She is courageous and determined in facing her fear. After going through several interviews with several companies, meeting good and bad people, she has finally gotten a job. It is not her dream job, but it will make do for the time being.
Whereas for me, things are looking quite gloomy. Currently, after 13 applications, I still do not have any job offer. I know the reason, but I do not feel like dealing with it. To force myself to change, I have determined to sit for IELTS, which is a prerequisite for applying an Australian working visa, in April and possibly May. This will be my first step in changing my life.
Although I am not entirely convinced, I may have been suffering from mild depression. Symptoms of depression include oversleeping, feeling sad, hopeless, and irritable, difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions, etc. Most of these symptoms are consistent with what I am feeling recently, but I am sure I will get over it soon.
There was no badminton session last Saturday. My friends seemed to be busy with their own life, either working or having fun time with other people. So there is no more "have-you-found-a-job" type of questions.
Having no idea where my future leads to, I was busy helping my girlfriend with her job applications and interviews instead. She was quite reluctant in finding a job in her field, but we all have to face the reality somehow. The society nowadays has often shaped us into mindless robot, working to make ends meet. Reality sometimes forces us to give up our dreams, because our dreams "just seem too farfetched."
Sure, we can let go of everything and take the risk of working towards our dreams. That is how successful people always advise us to do. "Take the leap of faith." It takes a lot of courage and perseverance to do that, because sometimes our dreams are not really suitable in current society.
When I was young and naive, I used to be dreaming to be an astronaut, which sounds rather silly. When I have grown up, I realise that things aren't always as easy as we think. Being an astronaut requires rigorous training; military background is almost always a must. The fact that I am living in a developing and rather unstable country means my chance of realising my dream is really slim. So I decided to give up and chose a more realistic path: becoming a professional.
I hated electronics. When I was in secondary school, my best friend asked me to join the Electronics Club with him. It was not a popular choice at that time. I remember there were only the two of us in the class. Most of the students either joined the brigade, uniformed bodies like scouts, bomba, etc, or simply ponteng. I had hard time understanding circuits, which made me hateful towards electronics.
It was not a well-thought decision when I chose to enrol into electrical and electronics (E&E) engineering in Taylor's University. I was not really interested in the other engineering courses, mechanical and chemical. With the guidance from several good lecturers, I slowly developed an interest in electronics. I did not regret choosing the course.
But becoming a professional engineer is never my dream. It is due to the society pressure that I have to choose to be a professional. During my graduation, I witnessed the sheer amount of graduates my university churned out every year. The world suddenly becomes a giant competition; every graduate is fighting for a place. Without a degree, we stand no chance in getting a respected job or climbing up the corporate ladder. Society has shaped us into mindless robots.
Seeing my girlfriend attending interviews made me feel proud of her. She walked into the offices alone and got interviewed by professional people. She does not even speak fluent English, which is exactly why I admire her. She is courageous and determined in facing her fear. After going through several interviews with several companies, meeting good and bad people, she has finally gotten a job. It is not her dream job, but it will make do for the time being.
 |
| 13 applications, 3 rejections. |
Although I am not entirely convinced, I may have been suffering from mild depression. Symptoms of depression include oversleeping, feeling sad, hopeless, and irritable, difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions, etc. Most of these symptoms are consistent with what I am feeling recently, but I am sure I will get over it soon.
Once I sat for IELTS, got a visa, and found a job, I will proceed to change my life for the better.
Sunday, March 02, 2014
My life after graduation: Week 1
That is the question people keep asking me recently. Last night, I went to play badminton with friends. I had not met some of them for a long time, and we did not really do any catch up to each other before this. Among the first questions they asked me was about job. It is not unexpected since they did not even know I have officially graduated."Have you found a job?"
It is now March 2014. I have been unemployed for 3 months. Strictly speaking, this is not Week 1. I suddenly come up with the idea for this title today, thinking that I should write down weekly updates of my life after graduation until I found a job. A lot of things have happened in the past couple of months, but I will just skip them and start counting from today. Someday in the future, when I am working my butt off as a senior engineer or manager or whatever, I will look back at this blog (assuming it is still here), read this post, and be like, "heh."
That being said, finding a job has proven to be difficult recently. Last night badminton session was also a chance for me to catch up on friends. Some of them have been working for quite some time in Singapore, while others have chosen to stay here. There seemed to be an invisible line separating us now. Those who have started working tend to group together and chat, talking about future plans, economy, work stories, gossips, etc. With no experience in working whatsoever, I find it difficult to mix with them.
Feng came to me to talk about movies and stuff. He is the type of person who will try to find something to talk to you, even when there is nothing to talk about. While chatting about life, I told him that I still keep the volunteer badge we got from participating a volunteer program for a charity which I do not remember. I think it had something to do with a banquet, but neither of us can be sure.
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| The badge with the word "Volunteer" in Chinese |
Throughout my life, I have never really had such idea. I am a rather... boring and laid-back person. I never aim to be adventurous, hoping instead to enjoy life as it is. Over the years, I have realize that such method of living is considered rather wasteful. To quote a Discovery Channel advertisement back in 2008, "The World is Just... Awesome."
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| "I love the whole world!" |
To be honest, all these sitting at home and relaxing is making me lazy and introversive. I think it is about time I start to make some changes to my life.
"Life doesn't get better by CHANCE. It gets better by CHANGE."
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