It’s been a while since my last post. There’s just too much going on in my life that I didn’t get time to write down. Anyways, here goes nothing.

The past 1.5 year has been really, really rough without any exaggeration. After switching majors, I’ve learnt a lot of new things which have reshaped who I am and reshuffled my plans for the future.

Let’s first talk about education, in my case, studying computer science is something that I’m really passionate about. In computer science, learning follows two main patterns:

  1. Short spurs of trial and error - practice and failed as much and as often as possible
  2. Finding patterns in problems - understanding how/why things work is the key - which allows you to solve millions of “similar” problems and build that problem-solving mindset

In terms of the learning style, it’s very different from a business program.

  • Business courses revolves around readings/cases/discussions. So technically, the WPM (word-per-minute) for business courses is a lot higher than reading some logic book in a computer science course. This is because of the difference in the level of abstraction each subject presents. I could be sitting there for 1 hour and only consume 3 pages of a mathematical induction proof, but once I fully understand them, I can use those theorems as building blocks in understanding more complex concepts, and be able to apply the knowledge in different domains. On the other hand, I could have read a 30-page S-1 filing on a company and understand how the company is doing
  • Business school has developed my research, writing and reading abilities well. I can quickly identify, gather useful info on any topic of choice. This has greatly increase my efficiency in finding and understanding topics in the computer science field as well

Now let’s dig into the transition in career paths. I’ve been gradually shifting my focus from a consulting-based career into a software development/technical career. Yes, many friends of mine have gone the other way around, and I rarely see the direction that I’m taking. I respect both career paths because consultants build up experience from countless projects/engagements so that they can provide a better/comprehensive recommendation in the future, and software developers trains the mind to think abstractly and to come up with very efficient and effective solutions to everyday problems. But one thing that I firmly believe is that as people grow older, their minds tend to get rusty, this is true for most people (due to biological and neurological evidence?). This leads me to my conclusion that people in their early careers should be training their minds in the most intense way possible and build experience along the way. Sorry Dad :P

Hopefully this writing will be helpful in reminding myself what I’ve been through, and in helping me make better decisions in the future.

I’ll end with a classic quote from Steve Jobs:

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Good night :)