My Dream Job Essay
Posted on November 12, 2010
Filed Under Life, Web 2.0
Last week in my E-Commerce class, my lecturer, Mr Rozaini Rejab asked a question: “What do you want to do if somebody give you RM50,000 to fund your business?”. The class remained silent.
On 24th August 2007, I went for an interview at Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd for their Cradle Investment Programme (CIP). I pitched about my idea in front of an Investment Manager to create a Web 2.0 application that will change the world. Codenamed “Job 2.0”, by the mantra of “What is your dream job?”, it revolves around user-generated content (UGC) that let anyone post their dream job and share with others. Unpredictably, I was selected for the RM50, 000 grant. I was stunned. I didn’t expect that. However, one year later, the “Job 2.0” went bust due to some manpower, technical and project management issues. I went broke when required paying back the amount.
Three years down the road, after all the hassle that I’ve went through, I found it pretty ironic when my lecturer, gave an assignment to blog about “My Dream Job” which carry 10% mark for BEL7084, Information Systems and E-Commerce subject. My heart whispered, “This is like replaying my old VCR!”. Suddenly, it reminisce me the Steve Jobs’ speech on YouTube during Stanford University Commencement Speech 2005 about “Connecting the Dots”. Look for 0:55 minutes. It really inspiring and connects my “previous” dots.
I’m a System Engineer by profession at one of the public listed IT company. The pay is satisfactory, I’m blissful with my job, but it’s never enough. Even Cradle made me broke, the entrepreneurship spirit in me never faded away. I want to be a successful entrepreneur, not for the sake of money alone, but also for the self-satisfaction. That’s my dream job. Look at to the above picture, I love to be a boss, managing my own company . I’m good at PR, community-building and crowd-sourcing. Advertisers will pay me if my web application is successful.
Why I want to be an entrepreneur? That’s a tough question. Referring to Big Five personality traits that I’ve studied during Organizational Behaviour subject, I came to know that my personality is Openness to Experience. I scored high in the personality test. According to study, there is a correlation between Openness to Experience and Entrepreneurship.
Being a successful entrepreneur, I know that I can always give something back to the community. Rules of the nature, the more we give, the more we get. I aspired to help people. Money is important, but it comes to second. I’m looking for self-satisfaction.
But why I still work as a System Engineer? That’s another tough question. I’m too coward to leave my current job due to family commitments. I have a family to feed. Becoming an entrepreneur doesn’t guarantee a return in a very short period. I need an excess of cash. Sustainable business is another thing to consider. I am not ready for this due to these financial constraints. Furthermore, I don’t have strong business background. Not even a business foundation. That’s why I pursue MBA.
I’m broke when I was forced to pay back Cradle. If given the opportunity to get another round of grant, I will ensure myself fully prepared. Lesson learnt, I couldn’t be an entrepreneur by doing it part-time. I must be willing to take risk, resign from current job and chase my dream job. High-risk, high-return. Business knowledge and networking are essentials.
Thus, taking an MBA is the best decision I’ve made in my life. I may be good in technical point-of-view, but I’m lacking in business perspective. MBA astonished me with real-life questions, which can only be answered by real-life experiences.
Year 2010 will end real soon now. 2011 is promising. I hope that I will rise and shine again in 2011 to achieve my dream job.
Wish me luck!
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