Sunday 18 March 2012

Short-term goals help in making long-term plans

By Andy Tay, Published The Straits Times, 17 Mar 2012

IN MY opinion, we need to have specific, long-term plans, but we should not neglect the importance of pursuing short-term goals as well.

Often, young people do not know what appeals to them in the long term.

So a wise way to find that out would be to try many different things, which would also gain the person experience when applying for opportunities that shape the long term, such as scholarships and jobs.

This is where the push to pursue worthy short-term goals comes in, as a necessary step to discovering and getting what we want ultimately.

After I graduated from junior college, I did not know what I wanted to do. When I applied for university, it was basically to secure an academic place.

After national service, I took up many jobs of different natures. I became an advisory consultant, a student researcher and a personal assistant.

They all gained me valuable experience.

My job as an advisory consultant with Spring Singapore required me to pass two interviews that were related to Singapore's economy, while the job of student researcher required a good understanding of biology, as I was researching cancer and stem cells.

Previous short-term goals of studying hard to get good grades paid off in securing me these excellent work opportunities, which I believe I would not have secured otherwise.

In the end, I realised I was most attracted to the prospect of being a clinical researcher, a career that may seem mundane to others.

I want to become a researcher as it allows me to fuse the two passions in my life: science and community service.

With my long-term goal of becoming a scientist, I applied for and received an Agency for Science, Technology and Research scholarship.

Had I not pursued short-term goals such as getting stellar results and trying out different jobs, I would never have known that my passion lay in clinical research, and would not have secured a scholarship to pursue it.

I believe that today's youth do not really know what they want. Many make mid-career transitions to completely different fields. Though this is not something to be worried about, taking time to find one's calling can ensure a better match between work and passion.

The writer, 20, is a first-year bioengineering student at the National University of Singapore.


No comments:

Post a Comment