Follow What You Like

Recently I received emails from some young juniors asking about advice/tips as they are soon attending interviews to be enrolled into Malaysian universities. One of them asked me about the reasons of me choosing UM and Law degree. The question is so simple yet worth asking for every single person to recall why we do what we do. So I copy and paste the answers below to share with you:

[Answers]

"Why did I choose law" (Course) and "Why did I choose UM" (University) were choices that I made in year 2011 when I was 19 years old. 

"Why did I choose law" 
Cool but very hard to do
I think everyone wants to do cool things. At 19, the cool things that I really fantasised to be were: Football Athlete/ Dota Professional Player / Singer
So those are cool but very hard to do until I felt like not so possible. So I stopped thinking about them.

Easy but not cool
At the mean time, there were a lot of things that are easy to do but not cool : Business, Economics, and some other unpopular degrees like Counselling or Education or Language

At that time I thought what is so hard about Business degree? You just study a bunch of common sense theories that everyone already knows? Better don't waste time on that. It seems easy and thus not cool at all.

Cool and also doable

So I was looking for something cool but also doable:
Science & Math related courses: Health Science (Medicine, Dentistry), Engineering, Actuarial Science

I was a Science stream student. First, most of my friends were choosing these 4 choices so I felt that it is not cool to be the same as everyone else. Second, I have been doing Science & Math for the past 5 years in high school. So I was very bored with Science & Math and thus feeling that it's not cool to choose those courses.

Arts related courses: Law, Accounting

I took Accounting in SPM and scored very well in it. So I felt that it is something very easy and not challenging. It was just a lot of numbers cramping together what, how interesting and challenging can it be? And also I also had friends who want to study accounting also. So again it's not cool to be the same as others.

So the final one, Law. It was something very mysterious for me. For Health Science, you already know a little about them through Biology subject. For Engineering & Actuarial Science you also know a bit through Physics & Mathematics. For Accounting, you know through Accounting in SPM. But law? I knew nothing. Sejarah? Not really. So it seems something very mysterious that my curiosity want to find out.

Also I fantasised about being a lawyer based on what I have seen on drama. It seems very cool to argue and solve problems among humans than dealing with human body, medicines, machines and numbers. Plus, none of my friends were even considering law besides me. So I must do it !

Complex reasons

So the reasons were complex:
1) I want to do the coolest thing within my capability
2) I want to know new things that I don't know at all, things that I am most curious about (Law)

3) I want to be different with my peers

4) All the (1), (2), (3) are based on my stereotypical understanding on the career choices (Like watching TV)

"Why did I choose UM"

This one was simple. I was top student in my high school in Klang. So I was very ambitious and thought that with my academic results I deserve to get the best. So I just wanted the best of the best and I didn't even want to consider anything less than that. I was even craving to go to UK or US universities but I didn't get JPA scholarship (Super sad that time). UM sounded so powerful as the top university in Malaysia. So UM. 

My thoughts

That's all about it. The reasons above sound like bullshits by a narcissistic & arrogant kid who just followed his own impulse and desire without thinking much. That's why at the beginning of this email I emphasised that it was a choice that I made at 19 years old. I was 19 only, what do you expect? There were so many things I didn't know! I was so clueless about the world !

Meanwhile, looking back at hindsight, I found that the reasons above are perfectly the appropriate reasons and my choice was the right choice. 

If you don't know what you want to do, follow your curiosity.
It's the most powerful compass, like the lighthouse for a ship on sea. You will never be wrong doing what you are genuinely interested in. 

When I entered law school I was so excited to find out what is this law all about, it was something that I don't know at all ! I felt the similar excitement that I used to have when I was playing on a beach at 5. I was excited to see if I can become that charming lawyer whom I saw on TV.

I wish I could tell you that I chose law because of my noble passion in law, or I wanted to fight for justice, or I have done some very detailed technical analysis with counselors, all those kinds of "decent reason". 

But no, those are bullshits reasons. You can't know something too much in advanced. Just follow what you like, or more precisely, find out things that you are very curious about.

Postscript

I no longer think that my childhood dreams (Football Athlete/ Dota Professional Player / Singer) are that impossible anymore.

Reasons:

The Internet made a lot of things easier.

If you wanted to be a singer in year 1990, you have to be spotted by some music label companies. It's hard to get selected. Only those companies can help you promote and sell your songs to public. Or else, your songs will not be known by anyone and you are wasting your time.

However, today you can simply sing yourself and publish your video/recording on Youtube and all kinds of social media. If your songs are reasonably nice, the public in the Internet will share/like/promote your songs. You will become famous and your songs will reach alot of people. You will start getting attention and make money.

Likewise with Dota games, through Internet you can connect with alot of other players and form teams and train together. Play alot of games together, train your teamwork and strategies and soon your team will become strong enough and win Tournament. 

For Football Athlete so far I haven't think about how is it today. Probably it is still as hard as in the past. I don't know. But the message I want to make is that today 2018 a lot of things are much more possible than last time :)