TOTO Adventures #1: Never Too Late

Just posted my self introduction in March.

Felt late and behind, felt awkward, felt like I shouldn't hit post. But I reminded myself...

Never too late.

Never too late, was a concept that was incredibly challenging to approach in my early years.

Never too late, is also the concept that allowed me to summon the courage to reset and restart.

• 2 years of military service,
• 1 freshman year at Singapore Management University and then dropping out,
• 1 year in 2020 failing to find a job at the height of COVID only to work on projects that confused recruiters and sending my CV to the bottom of the pile by default.

In those 4 years, I witnessed my circle of friends progress in their lives and careers.

Degrees, MBAs and PhDs. Promotions, job switches, you name it.

That my friends, was 4 years of progress, "lost".

Or was it? ??

Those "lost"years were in fact invaluable contributions to my personal growth. On hindsight, here's how I see it.

For my military service, I had a unique project and people management role. Sounds fancy until it means managing more than a thousand National Day (our Independence Day equivalent) performers, with the age group ranging from 12 to 70. I may not have picked up jungle survival skills, but I learnt how to negotiate with hundreds of teens, and empathised with the older but equally passionate performers struggling under the beating sun.

I learnt to find my voice and place in a room of the best Singaporean talent, including world class directors, composers, show callers and stage builders. Today, when crisis hits, I learnt that a calm mind amidst the stacking havoc is key to recovery. I instinctively spot points of failure, and ALWAYS sound out a stray, untaped cable so someone doesn't lose a tooth.

Yes. After a year at Singapore Management University , I chose to drop out, only to restart university in another country. And yes, to be upfront, I know I am privileged to even have that option.

It needs to be established, I had an amazing year at SMU. I met great professors with whom I maintained a friendship with long after even my cohort graduated. I had my fair share of late nights in the library, over the top student projects and would not trade my time with the university's contemporary dance troupe for anything.

It was everything student life should be. Fun, challenging and enriching.

It was great, and yet it wasn't.

It was familiar fun, familiar challenges, and familiar paths for the future.

For me, that was not how I wanted to grow.

In making the decision to leave, growth came from learning to notice where there is internal misalignment, and from building the courage to walk away.

I did not rage quit, I consciously quit.

Finally, 2020, the year that mucked up my CV.

Amidst a frozen job market, I dabbled into brokering private market real estate, sourcing medical PPE for corporations and later even countries. After a few 'ghost' supplier experiences, I need to prove that factories were in fact manufacturing PPE product. In the end, I had to find and pay a teen living in that town to bike over and take videos of delivery trucks loading and dispatching. Not the most relevant line in my resume.

Post vaccine discovery, PPE suppliers consolidated and opportunities dried up. I got back into job search. Recruiters and HR reps could not comprehend that seemingly intentional 'stain' in my CV. "How does that progress your career?", was a line coupled with a deep confusion or an uninterested expression. While incredibly demoralising and close to impossible to explain, I knew that I chose breadth over depth to expand my knowledge and experience. Career was not part of that decision.

These were not detours.

They were harvest routes.

Instead of continuing on a familiar path, I chose the path of unknown unknowns, the Pathless Path (credits: Paul Millerd ),

and I am better for it.

In my next post, I share about my recent #NeverTooLate adventure,

My leap of faith into the world of #batteries,

And learning outside of school.

Jia Hong Shaw

The Pedalling Investor

Turn Off Turn On Ventures

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*Fictional names used.