The discomfort of a comfort zone

Hi everyone! Currently a final year student, I major in Accounting as well as Banking and Finance at Monash University Malaysia. To start off, I come from a rather small city located on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia – Kuantan. I was in the science stream class during high school and I took Accounting as an extra subject. Like most students of that age, I was clueless about what I wanted to do in the future and hence I took the safer route.

To plan ahead and always have a contingency plan.

Luckily enough, with my SPM results, I managed to secure the KPM Bursary scholarship to study the Cambridge A Level programme in Taylor’s College. Throughout my time there, I started some serious future planning. I had one main goal toward the end of my 18 months there – to do my degree abroad, particularly in the United Kingdom. The application process was not easy, sweat and tears were involved in producing a good personal statement when the final exam was just a month away. Thankfully, I managed to secure 4 out of 5 offers from the UK universities I applied to.

However, due to the sudden changes in policy implemented by the government in early 2016, that dream of mine did not come true. I panicked and that slowly turned into frustration. I tried applying for other scholarships but none were successful because I was lacking something (perhaps much more) relative to others. I was not prepared for those policy changes.

If there is one thing I wish the younger me would know earlier – to always have a contingency plan, never be too comfortable in your comfort zone and keep exploring different (perhaps better) opportunities! Don’t be afraid to try new things.

Vividly I could still remember the first week into my degree life. I dreaded every second there, because I couldn’t help but keep thinking how much better things would be if I was in a different country. I was so envious of my friends who had the chance to study overseas.

But things changed, I met amazing people. Seeing how hard they worked to realize their goals despite their backgrounds, I knew that it was time for me to stop dwelling on things I can’t change. I started exploring new opportunities, and opened up myself to various new learning experiences. I joined an MNC emulating student organisation (ICMS) which connects Malaysian students studying in different countries all around the world. Besides developing myself, I met many brilliant individuals and got to learn so much from them.

And ta-daaa it hit me that I don’t actually have to be in a totally different country to experience all of this (do not get me wrong, of course there will still be certain differences whether or not you study locally or abroad, but what’s more important is that you gotta make full use of any opportunity you have in order to make it worthwhile!)

Don’t let things that aren’t going your way stop you from unleashing your hidden potential.

On top of that, I managed to do an internship in one of the Big Four firms during one of my summer breaks and that gave me more insight into the working culture and life of a professional firm. My honest advice: apply for internships during your semester break if you can! You will learn a lot more about a company (working culture, dynamic etc.) and you get to build your connections from there!

Fast forward to now, 2 semesters are left till I graduate and guess what? I am spending a semester abroad in the United Kingdom! Other than making many new friends with different nationalities, I have finally been able to meet those friends I made through ICMS, physically for the first time!

All in all, the key message to those of you who are reading this: EXPLORE. This is the only time you are old enough to make some decisions for yourself, at the same time not that old to get tied down to any ‘adulting’ responsibilities yet. If you have the chance to study overseas, go ahead and make it count; if you don’t, it does not mean you can’t shine! Continue working on yourself, on your dream -- you never know what lies ahead.

Leo Kah Man, just returned from a semester exchange at University of Warwick and is currently in her final year pursuing a Business degree (major in Accounting, Banking and Finance) at Monash University Malaysia. She was also actively involved in ICMS and did an internship at one of the big four firms during summer break.