I'm not a full believer of the utility of a university degree. I'm still not. I always wonder how many university graduates are underemployed. And I'm wondering about the percentage of the underemployed who utilises existing government programs to upskill in verticals unrelated to their studies.
How many of your friends still work in a field related to their studies, be it poly or university?
Regardless, I'm now pursuing my part-time BSc Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in SUSS. There are various motivations behind my decisions. One is the fact that we as a society are still very much paper-crazed. Yes, even though we are moving away from that.
The curriculum at SUSS intrigues me because of the practicality of it. Web application development, object-oriented programming, application analysis and project management, to name a few.
I am at a crossroad in my life. I am grateful for the stability of my current job. Still, there is a nagging feeling that there is something out there more dynamic and more fulfilling. Something that makes me eager to start my day, again.
There are still many pathways that I could grow as a frontend developer, like OWASP, PWA, GraphQL, service workers, typescript.
But I can't recall the last time that I sit in anticipation in front of my laptop.
I used to.
I used to love wrangling with the syntax of Javascript.
I used to spend hours on FreeCodeCamp, going through lessons after lessons.
I used to imagine the possibilities of the web.
I used to. That joy of opening up my IDE, and producing lines and lines of codes and marvel at my creation, it is missing.
I don't know why and when it happens. Maybe it's burnout. Perhaps, it's the stark reality in comparison with what I imagine in my mind. I've been working in tech for a good 2-3 years. I still am amazed at how fast technology is advancing. I still love a good read on how technology and algorithms solve problems and improve people lives.
It's human to crave progression. Some people set their goals to build a family. While others set their sights on financial goals. In preparation and in hope for something bigger than what I am today, I make a target to get a degree before I'm 35.
I have usually enjoyed the acquirement of knowledge. Still, I'm pleasantly surprised how working on the assignments give me joy. Even though there is a deadline to meet, even though some fellow coursemates feel stressed out, I rejoice in my refound passion for playing around code.
I am fortunate to find the pace of the modules manageable as I have some background knowledge. I love the vibrancy of the chat group when people in it discuss programming even when I don't always fully participate in it. I guess I miss the feeling of being in a community, though programming is a lonely task to undertake.
December will mark the end of my Year 1, Sem 1 and I look forward to more advance classes in future.
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