Now
Graduated from Singapore NTU and considering my future
I graduated and am currently unemployed. The job market in Singapore is pretty part right now for foreigners. Companies favor
- Candidates with experience (don't hire fresh grad).
- Candidates where they don't need to sponsor EP for (don't hire foreign).
I am belong to both categories, so naturally I am in the worst possible possible.
Right now I preparing to do a PhD with Prof. Liang Kaicheng at NTU while continuing my (definitely not totally hopeless) job search. To be fair, my professor doubts me (very much!) since my experience is blank. But I am serious about this now.
Revisit "So Good They Can't Ignore You"
I am solely responsible for my current situation. Long story short, I am not a stupid kid, I studied in prestigious schools my whole life and participated in academic competitions many times. However, the nice way to put it is I am mediocre among the extraordinary my age. I have always worked hard, 2-10x to get to the same position as my peers. So when one day last year, seeing how people around me are chilling with their life, I let my hair loose. Thus, begins a slow and painless slide to where I am now.
So, I want to claw back up, starting with my career. Thus, I revisited Cal Newport, the person that makes the most sense in the modern working world. "So Good They Can't Ignore You" seriously needs to be the first thing a college student should read, together with "How to Become a Straight-A Student". Any case, it sums up nicely my position: I am in a highly competitive job market for my demographic without notable career capital to save myself. I need more time, and turn that time well into career capital, or else.