This essay, as told, is based on a verbal exchange with Tricia Goh, 22, a computer science student at the National University of Singapore. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified his educational and professional experience.
Getting a job in the tech industry is no longer as easy as it used to be. It’s scary to read news about how tough the job market is for computer science graduates these days.
Computer science has also become more popular and competitive as a major. There are nearly a thousand students in my batch. This means that each of us could end up fighting with hundreds of people for the same number of roles.
Interestingly, reading computer science was not an option for me. Like most young Singaporeans, I had no idea what I wanted to study at university when I graduated.
To have a better idea of what I was looking to do, I dedicated the nine months before starting school to doing internships. I ended up doing two internships: at a number one school teaching English and math and at a local IT company specializing in enterprise software.
Working at that IT company was a transformative experience.
I had the advantage of receiving personalized recommendations from the corporate founder and learning more about the industry and generation ecosystem.
The internship ended up sparking my interest in computer science.
In fact, even when school started, I still found myself heading back to the company to help out and brush up on my understanding of areas like cybersecurity and software engineering.
It was not easy to adapt to university life my first semesters.
The curriculum was challenging, and I thought my grades didn’t accurately reflect what I could contribute to a company if hired as a full-time employee. That drove me to do more internships to accrue hands-on experience.
This year I did a six-month internship at a Norwegian software company. The company recently set up its headquarters in Singapore and has been in its efforts to enter the Asian market.
At the end of this internship, I applied for a full-time job.
Many of my peers hold high-paying positions at FAANG corporations like Facebook and Google.
People like me, who don’t aspire to those positions, are asked questions like, “Why don’t you look for the most productive tasks?Why don’t you search to get a task on Google?”
However, I don’t prioritize my own expansion working in a small business.
Working at a FAANG company may be something that many computer science students see themselves doing, but such a goal isn’t in line with what I want out of my career.
My long-term purpose is to be an entrepreneur and start my own business. I know that I would possibly not be satisfied with making a lot of money if it meant working long hours.
I would rather do something more fulfilling that still allows me to support my family and live well. I don’t mind opting out of the hustle of chasing big-name companies for smaller learning experiences instead.
Do you have a story to tell about your career in generation or finance? Contact this reporter at ktan@businessinsider. com.
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