The last week of August. Normally around this time I will start to count down, to the day where I get older. And now, almost done with my twenties, I start to wonder what have I achieved so far?
Some people have made their millions by the time they reach their mid-twenties. Some became academics and earned a PhD or a Postdoctoral Fellow. Some have gotten married and have a few kids. Some have achieved their dreams of being high-flyers. Some have gone on humanitarian trips to outreach.
What have I achieved exactly? I completed my normal studies, but almost everyone would have done so. I have a basic degree, but in today's context a degree does not count for much. Opportunity, capability and smarts count more. It is no longer true that if one does not study and achieves a high education, one will not be successful.
Not everyone can be like Adam Khoo, who is not just a first-class honours holder, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker, but also a self-made millionaire before the age of thirty. Neither can they be like Olivia Lum, ex-scholar.
Some like Ron Sim and Sim Wung Hoo, do not even have tertiary education, started off being salesmen, yet are now the heads of very established companies. (Incidentally, they are not related. Perhaps the surname plays a part in helping them make their millions?)
There are a few cases I have seen where the person is almost illiterate yet make millions. The Managing Director of my former company has the same surname as me, and is of the same dialect group as my mum. The company is in the shipping and petroleum business, and he built up the company from scratch, from his days selling tankers. He can hardly speak or read any English, yet I heard that the company is going to get public listed in a number of years.
And my dad's cousin, who built up his own company from scratch too, from his days repairing and selling watches. He started off as an apprentice in a watch shop after his secondary education. The company is now public-listed, with branches in Thailand and China, and soon to be in other parts of the world.
And my mum's side of the family too, judging from how well my granduncle built up the business my late grandfather set up. I do not know the Indonesian name of the company, but it seems to be a pretty well-established one in Jakarta, with my uncle heading the Singapore branch, and soon-to-be Dubai branch, where another one of my cousins is now based to spearhead the construction.
Sometimes I wonder if I am born in the wrong family. It will be good to have a family business to fall back on, at least you know for sure you will never be out of job.
But my point is that how many people who have high qualifications, really make it big? Most end up being employees and work till they retire. Of course if one is higher educated, the chances of rising to a senior executive or managerial or higher post is better than those who do not have as high qualifications.
Some said perhaps those without paper qualifications know they can never be successful if they continue working for others. Thus, with opportunity and capital, they set up their own companies, and quite a number of them flourished. He says one will not see a professional like a doctor setting up his own company as they already have highly-paid jobs.
Ron Sim appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine, which our client showed us today. My lawyer was remarking, what is the use of studying so much when his yearly pay equals to Ron Sim's quarterly pay?
If I did not pursue a higher education, perhaps I would have been unemployed. Then what would I have done? Set up a chocolatier perhaps. Or a cafe specialising in waffles, chocolate cake and chocolate fondue.
But I do not think I can ever make it as an entrepreneur. I do not have a business mind nor a vision to strategise. And I am not tough enough. To make it as a businessman (or woman), one must be very practical and merciless, and that is something I cannot achieve.
Some people have made their millions by the time they reach their mid-twenties. Some became academics and earned a PhD or a Postdoctoral Fellow. Some have gotten married and have a few kids. Some have achieved their dreams of being high-flyers. Some have gone on humanitarian trips to outreach.
What have I achieved exactly? I completed my normal studies, but almost everyone would have done so. I have a basic degree, but in today's context a degree does not count for much. Opportunity, capability and smarts count more. It is no longer true that if one does not study and achieves a high education, one will not be successful.
Not everyone can be like Adam Khoo, who is not just a first-class honours holder, an entrepreneur and motivational speaker, but also a self-made millionaire before the age of thirty. Neither can they be like Olivia Lum, ex-scholar.
Some like Ron Sim and Sim Wung Hoo, do not even have tertiary education, started off being salesmen, yet are now the heads of very established companies. (Incidentally, they are not related. Perhaps the surname plays a part in helping them make their millions?)
There are a few cases I have seen where the person is almost illiterate yet make millions. The Managing Director of my former company has the same surname as me, and is of the same dialect group as my mum. The company is in the shipping and petroleum business, and he built up the company from scratch, from his days selling tankers. He can hardly speak or read any English, yet I heard that the company is going to get public listed in a number of years.
And my dad's cousin, who built up his own company from scratch too, from his days repairing and selling watches. He started off as an apprentice in a watch shop after his secondary education. The company is now public-listed, with branches in Thailand and China, and soon to be in other parts of the world.
And my mum's side of the family too, judging from how well my granduncle built up the business my late grandfather set up. I do not know the Indonesian name of the company, but it seems to be a pretty well-established one in Jakarta, with my uncle heading the Singapore branch, and soon-to-be Dubai branch, where another one of my cousins is now based to spearhead the construction.
Sometimes I wonder if I am born in the wrong family. It will be good to have a family business to fall back on, at least you know for sure you will never be out of job.
But my point is that how many people who have high qualifications, really make it big? Most end up being employees and work till they retire. Of course if one is higher educated, the chances of rising to a senior executive or managerial or higher post is better than those who do not have as high qualifications.
Some said perhaps those without paper qualifications know they can never be successful if they continue working for others. Thus, with opportunity and capital, they set up their own companies, and quite a number of them flourished. He says one will not see a professional like a doctor setting up his own company as they already have highly-paid jobs.
Ron Sim appeared on the cover of Forbes magazine, which our client showed us today. My lawyer was remarking, what is the use of studying so much when his yearly pay equals to Ron Sim's quarterly pay?
If I did not pursue a higher education, perhaps I would have been unemployed. Then what would I have done? Set up a chocolatier perhaps. Or a cafe specialising in waffles, chocolate cake and chocolate fondue.
But I do not think I can ever make it as an entrepreneur. I do not have a business mind nor a vision to strategise. And I am not tough enough. To make it as a businessman (or woman), one must be very practical and merciless, and that is something I cannot achieve.
1 comments:
I can empathize with how you feel. I am 40 and wondering when my big chancve will come, when will my turn at success arrive. Ny many standards I am successful - by my own, I feel I have not accomplished and fulfilled all I can.
As I mentioend in a previous post, you are responsible for your success. Your mantra must be "Just go and do it. Don't wait for permission. Seek foregiveness if necessary, not permission."
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