Thoughts

So I went to a IBN (Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, A*STAR) Student Forum today. Before the forum, I was expecting it to be a kind of academic-based forums, similar to others that I have attended before. I went with the mindset of learning more with regards to the scientific aspect, but little did I know I would bring home something much more than that.

This student forum was totally different from what I expected. It was not a forum where the speakers talk about their research, or about the new technology in the scientific research field. The speakers, instead, talked about their experience, which was already an interesting topic in itself. In other words, it was a talk about life.

I learnt a lot from the speakers as they talked about their past stories, the thinking they went through and the choices they made before becoming the person they are now. So, I am here to share this with you, and to record this down before I forget. (This is the reason I am typing in English instead of my usual Chinese.)

1) There was a speaker who was an ex-Vice President from MIT. He practically spent his entire academic life in MIT, from undergraduate to his career. But everything in his life was, as he put it, good luck and rational choices. He knew that he was interested in Engineering, and he got offers from three Engineering schools in his district, including MIT. Why did he choose to go to MIT? Simply because MIT offered the most economic assistance. After completing his degree, he wanted to work, but a faculty member convinced him to stay on to do his Masters and later, phD. In a series of opportunities, he became the Vice President of MIT.

Moral of the Story: Take hold of opportunities when they come ~~ Things will turn out right eventually. This speaker added that he reckons that teenagers in the US worry too much about their future, how one wrong choice may affect your future, etc, but his advice was to take everything as it comes. Don’t worry too much.

Impact on myself: Before this I was doing some thinking on what degree I wanted to do in university, and I wasn’t sure. I knew I am interested in Chemistry, but I have to admit, I was kind of unsure what job I would take in the future, and worried about that as well. Now, I suppose I should not worry so much and wait for my time to come.

2) The second speaker is a Bio-entrepreneur, AKA a Molecular Biology Researcher turned Businesswomen. Her story is more straightforward, basically she was interested in Science since primary school and thus she went to Canada to study Molecular Biology (for two reasons- She wanted to be independent, and she wanted the challenge, in the academics sense) So after she finished and got her phD in Japan, she had a great idea for a business plan, so she set up her own company and got it stable.

Moral of the Story: There was one point she emphasised –> You have to know what you want and work hard to get it. Get help when you need help, because she knew what kind of professionals she would need to hire to profit in business. There is also the importance of selling yourself and your ideas –> You must know what’s so good about yourself.

Impact on myself: Currently, apart from finishing school with decent grades and gaining exposure through various activities, I do not clearly know what I want to achieve in life. I mean, almost all teenagers my age are like that. I do know that I want to find out where my interest lie in, and quoting the second speaker, you have to know what turns you “on”. You have to know what you love to do in order to make a choice that will fit you the best.

I know that I like Chemistry and sort of have a talent for it. I will work hard towards this aspect, but I do not wish that my field/choices available becomes limited because of this. I want to make myself open to other choices at the same time, such that I may become an all-rounded person. Furthermore, only doing Chemistry seems very boring to me.

3) The last speaker is a clinical researcher. He faced a lot of problems such as juggling his clinical and scientific training, and risking a chance of compromising both. However, he did not make the choice early in his life. Contrary to what the second speaker said, he thinks that at 18, many of us are still in the process of exploring. If you have found what you love to do, then good for you. But for those that are finding out what does and does not suit you, fret not as you can always change you career halfway. It’s not something to be ashamed of, or to worry about [because you have to restart].

Moral of the Story: 不要把话说得太绝。The thing is, you will never expect where you will end up when you finally step into society. There are many things happening in real life that can never be predicted beforehand. When life closes a door, it opens a window. So, remain open to choices and explore when you have the chance to. Failure will occur definitely, it is up to how you handle them. More importantly, you should get excitement from your job.

Impact on myself: I take back everything I said regarding my future university degree choices and my career. Who knows, I may be doing Physics in university even though it’s the science I dislike most. But I will still put my target of pursuing a Chemistry-related career in my mind, and to go all out for it. Whatever I may do in the future, I hope that I will have no regrets.

Overall thoughts: I think I should not be overly concerned for my future. Being concerned about my future is good, but I think I should enjoy the present and shine in the present before considering the future. So basically its priority-related.

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Wasn’t it a different and impactful Student Forum? Thank you IBN for organising such a significant forum for us all.