Covid-19 just hit us the past few months, I completed my final year project, my graduation got cancelled, I had to self quarantine at home for 14 days… More importantly, I’m now officially a Mechanical Engineering graduate. I have came back from the UK as well after finishing my final year of studies at the University of Sheffield.
I felt too many things happened in such a short time. I really couldn’t take a breather since I graduated. While I was doing my final year project earlier this year (even before COVID happened), I remember I was so worried about my graduate job that I had to complete my project and apply to jobs simultaneously. I recall having to wake up in the middle of the many nights for interviews because of the difference in time zones, in the UK and Malaysia. I planned my return to Malaysia after I graduate for a number of reasons but I will leave that for another story. I was rejected again and again for the graduate positions I applied. I was discouraged and really felt a lot of my effort was wasted. I sacrificed my sleep for online assessments, assessment centres, and online interviews. Every time I put on my formal wear in the middle of the night and prepared for an online interview, I became more and more desperate for a job. My worry slowly turned into anxiety, making me nervous, making me underperform in my assessments, and I struggled to impress my assessors.
At this moment was my turning point, I reflected on my personal motivations and reassessed why I’m failing. It boils down to several reasons. I could clearly see myself drowned in societal ideologies and have been applying to jobs that I do not like only because it’s what society deemed as a “good” job. I did not have focus and applied to jobs that were from “the best graduate employer” even though I might not end liking the actual job. Jobs like in the Accounting Big 4, or Consulting, or like marketing graduate schemes. These random graduate jobs were always being promoted to me and that’s why I blindly applied and keep on failing.
After the realisation, I was just like screw this. I gonna go back and do some research on actual engineering jobs. Apply to actual engineering companies. I still wanted a job in Shell, ExxonMobil, oil & gas or energy companies as they are the highest paid jobs. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a place for it. However, I somehow landed an interview for a software engineering job in a semiconductor company. The interview was 随便 (sui-bian), very cincai (in Malaysian) or very easy-going. With just 1 round of interview and I got the offer. Even though the pay was minimum, but I was desperate and that’s how I ended up in Penang for my first job. Sounded like I regretted this job? In fact, it’s the reverse.
I didn’t realise how much I like programming until I started this job. Damn, I fell in love with my first programming language. I built my first machine. I wouldn’t have realised the beauty of Penang if I didn’t accept this job. The memories I made in Penang, surviving the Covid-19 and lockdowns with loved ones are unforgettable. I know many good things happened and is going to happen because of this decision to take up this job. Let the journey continue…
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