I used to obsess a lot over planning everything. I want to have a solid plan in mind about my career trajectory, my life, and everything in between. I hated not knowing what is going to happen and not being in control of my life.
But, as I grew older, I realized that while having a plan is good, life do tend to be unexpected in some ways, and you have to ditch your plans and be flexible with everything.
We can see it happening a lot this year, with COVID-19 and how a lot of things have changed due to the pandemic. Schools and universities closed, companies trying to figure out how to manage working from home while also ensuring that the business is running smoothly, etc.
Personally, I was planning to host a free careers workshop for graduates and students as my birthday project. But, obviously, with what’s going on today, having a big group of people gathered in a closed meeting room might not be the best idea.
So, I opted for an alternative route. On Friday, 21st Aug, I hosted a 2.5 hour long virtual hangout. And yesterday, Saturday 22nd Aug, I hosted an in-person hangout at F.R. Copper in TTDI. I used these as an alternative to meet up with random students and graduates and utilizing it as a discussion and networking session.
And, I have to say, while it was a little bit awkward (one participant yesterday legit asked me “Kenapa kau buat benda ni sebenarnya?”), I had a good time talking to these people.
We talked about random topics, ranging from personal finance (tips for students/graduates), job searching, finding one’s passion, friendship & relationship, dealing with toxic workplace, and a whole lot more.
What made it better was because I did not have any specific agenda planned, as I would have if I did a class. Instead, it was an open discussion and people could ask questions about anything they want, and anyone can contribute by sharing their ideas and advice. This led to a more fruitful and engaging discussion, as people were actively asking and sharing.