Life After Graduation
It has been 3 weeks after I finished my last paper in NUS.
It felt like it has been a long time since I left school. I have even forgotten how it feels like to be in school again. For the past 3 weeks, I have been so busy with work that I felt guilty almost everytime I took a nap/sleep. I transitioned from being a student (& a part time programmer) to a full-time freelancer in almost a snap and it was very easy. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I have been working as a part-time freelancer for years, perhaps also that it was what I enjoy more, compared to studying.
My life for the past 3 weeks have been an extremely busy one. I have participated in more meetings and events in 3 weeks than I attended lectures in one semester (3 months). I am currently partially employed by a company, with monthly pay, and am given the flexibility to not just work from home, but also to do other projects, be it personal or other client’s. I am thankful for that as it provides me with some degree of financial security and yet still provides me with the freedom to do what I enjoy.
I haven’t been sleeping well for the last 3 weeks. I jumped out of bed almost everyday to work because I kept feeling guilty whenever I take breaks. I haven’t got time, and the mood, to do any of my hobbies - playing cards and exploring free electronic music. I am also lagging really a lot in following technology news, which was one of the things I did religiously when I was a student. I have tons of emails in my to-be-replied list, but my email-clearing rate is unfortunately lower than the rate of new to-be-replied emails coming in. My working hours is almost completely all the time when I am awake, from about 9-10AM to about 3-4AM the next day. I don’t get any day offs. Tomorrow is a public holiday but I still have to wake up early to work.
Comparing that with my life as a student, it is obvious that which one is more stressful and demanding. Nonetheless, I am feeling happier now as compared to the time when I was a student, trying to make sense of lecture notes that I was being force-fed to. I am finally doing the things I have always been wanted to do.
My life as a freelancer, or a starting-up entrepreneur, is definitely not easy but it is certainly more fulfilling for me so far. I am glad also to have a very supportive girlfriend, Sek Ling, that not merely understands me and my work, but also constantly trying to help to do whatever she could to make my life more organized and in order. And most importantly, thanks for willing to migrate to Singapore for me.
Everyone is busy chasing their dreams, I am chasing mine as well. Let’s hope all of us will succeed in pursuing our dreams someday.
May 31st, 2007 / 192 Comments / Trackback