Reflections on My Final CS Semester at NUS Before Working as a Full-Time Backend Engineer
Logging down some thoughts before the next phase
Onward to my Next Phase
After 4 years studying at National University of Singapore, I am happy to say that I have graduated from my Computer Science major :) It has been a fulfilling journey: unpredictable, stress filled, but definitely worth it. Each semester has been a unique experience, shaping a different version of me with evolving (I hope) priorities, beliefs, and character. I went from idealistic phase → stress-ridden → exploration → slightly more grounded, all within the 4 years. I hope to do a deeper dive into each phase in the future. But for this article, I mainly want to jot down my thoughts about my final semester before starting full time work next week.
Side note: I am also glad that people are reading the reflections I wrote for my Software Engineering Internships mini series. I hope that they have been somewhat helpful and all the best for whatever you guys are doing :)
The Final Semester
One of the gifts of this semester was time. In part due to some unpredictable and also intentional planning, I only did one module this semester, which granted me a lot of free time outside of school. Additionally, I didn’t have to segment time to find employment as I was fortunate enough to be able to secure it the semester before.
I could have definitely done more modules and learn more, but I wanted some protected time to just do things aside from tech, code, and career. I wanted to figure out what I am looking forward to after retirement.
It is an odd goal, but I figured everyone is working towards retirement as the end goal, so surely they should know what they want to do after right? And it was surprisingly challenging.
With the abundance of time, I found myself uncertain about how to spend it and ending up spending quite a bit of time just doom scrolling and sleeping. Traveling is an easy answer, which I definitely did and enjoyed. But I am limited financially, and I don’t think traveling is the long term solution too as you will hit some form of fatigue after traveling for an extended period of time.
However, as the semester goes by, I started trying out different things, which also led to new potential hobbies and interests! I played chess for a good period of time, signed up for urban sketching classes, volunteered once (I realized I may not be as altruistic as I thought), explored Singapore a bit, and caught up on animes/series/movies. I also ended up doing a bit of coding from Codecrafters, spending some time to learn things I am genuinely interested in at a much slower pace.
Meaning in Unproductive Activities
This whole experience has been eye-opening, as it made me realize that I wasn’t too sure what kind of lifestyle I am working towards, urging me to spend more time and effort thinking about it. I think sometimes we can get too caught up with the pace of life and kind of forget why we are rushing and hustling so much. Maybe once you figure out the ideal lifestyle you seek: the kind of hobbies, interests, and activities you hope to pursue day to day or look forward to after work, you will feel a lot more motivated to work, and also maybe realize that you don’t need to work that hard to achieve that lifestyle!
Of course, this period of time can be seen as unproductive too, and rightfully so. I actually had internship opportunities this semester which would definitely grant me more useful career progression advantages. Additionally, I could have signed up for classes too. It is tough to weigh which route is better since we can’t predict how each decision will pan out, but safe to say I don’t regret the choice I made.
I found it hard explaining to people what I was spending this time for, but also realized in hindsight — why am I justifying my actions to people? What does the validation from them do?
One of the biggest things I will miss is exploring Singapore on weekday afternoons. I will dearly miss cycling on Hellobike along East Coast Park towards Changi Beach on a random Tuesday afternoon or exploring Lower Seletar Reservoir at 3pm under the hot sun. Good and precious times :)
Finding a Different Kind of Purpose
I think the point is to realize that all this education is meant to equip you with skill sets — both technical and soft — so that you can carve out the path and lifestyle you want. But as we continuously upgrade and sharpen our skills, we also need to be clear why we’re doing all this upgrading in the first place.
For some, it may be to pay off family debt. For others, it might be to become financially independent, live abroad, open a coffee house, or even run a tea plantation. Or maybe it’s simply to live a life where you can play tennis in the morning, spend time with your loved ones, and read a book in the evening while watching the sunset with a glass of wine.
I still recall when I was in Norway for my overseas internship, I was on a journey to figure out my purpose and passion in life. And I returned to Singapore without a clear answer. Yet after this semester, it became clearer that what I’m pursuing may not be a specific passion, like being a doctor or advocating for a certain change, but more of a lifestyle — and the occupation is simply a means to that.
This slower paced final semester gave me the rare opportunity to step off the treadmill of upskilling and think deeper about what I’m working toward. I have a much better understanding on what kind of life I want to build and how my new employment fits in the picture.
Starting a New Phase
Speaking of my new employment, I will be starting my full time employment next Monday and I am both excited and nervous about it. On one hand I feel that I was just lucky to be employed and is lacking some skill. On the other hand, I am excited to learn, and see this as a super opportunity to learn and grow to become a better Software Engineer, and hopefully better person too.
Regardless, I’m looking forward to slowly building the kind of life I want, and I can see how this new chapter fits into that picture. It probably won’t be a smooth journey, but maybe that’s exactly what makes life worth living :)
