2023 update: I eventually left my job in mid-2018, and I’ve been a feral free agent since then. I sell books (FAN, Introspect) and I do marketing consulting.

2014 EDIT: Just to avoid confusion; this was written at the start of 2013! I’m still working here and having loads of fun.

My life has gotten really interesting in the past year or so. Really, really interesting. (I’m biased, of course.)

Here’s a quick recap- I was in Junior College from 2007 to 2009. (According to my report cards prior to that, I was an intelligent, articulate kid who was just very irresponsible with his homework. I read lots of books, and spent lots of time either playing video games or surfing the Internet.)

(I ended up repeating a year in, partially because I spent way too much time skipping school to hang out with musicians. My teachers will tell you that I was irresponsible and didn’t know how to prioritize my time.)

Lots of fun. No regrets. This was the Esplanade Powerhouse Stage, a stage I dreamed of playing ever since I caught one of my favourite bands there. We had no musicial background and we were passable at best. We got there not because of our musical genius, but because we had built relationships with our supporters. (Playing there made me realize that I could generally get around to doing whatever I wanted to do, as long as I wanted it badly enough and I stuck to it long enough.)

From April 2010 to April 2012, I did my mandatory National Service (NS) in the Singapore Armed Forces. It had its ups and downs. It wasn’t as bad as some guys make it out to be. I learnt a lot about myself.

For me, it was mostly a time of reflection and a lesson in patience. It was during this time that I began writing more seriously in my blog. I built a diverse community of conversationalists on Facebook. And I joined Quora.

Once I was done with my NS, I was kind of lost. I didn’t do well enough to get into public universities in Singapore, and I really didn’t want to go to any of our private ones (they’re really expensive!). I was uninterested in diplomas of any kind, and really, quite opposed to any sort of institutionalized education.

If I could do anything I wanted, I would’ve spent all my time blogging and writing (Quora being a large part of that!) And, I suppose, to my credit, that is what I did- though it was more of something I did for fun rather than something I doggedly pursued with rigor and discipline.

I decided to re-take my A Levels as a private candidate. I did it mostly so that I’d be able to tell everybody that I had some sort of plan, really. I used it to dodge the dreaded “So what are you doing?” question. (It’s hard to tell Asian parents and family that you’re sitting around reading and writing with the hope that you’d someday be recognized for it, and actuallymake a living from it.)

It might seem that I wanted to go to University, but honestly, I didn’t. My plan was to just do really well, and then use my Comeback Kid story to build a name for myself and give tuition and emotional support to other disillusioned A Level students. I wanted to create a support network for bright, frustrated students who struggle in school. (I still do!)

I never really wanted to go to University (excepting ridiculous out-of-my-league offers.) There were some sour grapes involved, yes, and I did indulge in some University-bashing at the time. These days I’m content just to say- I didn’t qualify, and it’s not for me.

I kept blogging. I was still blogging actively (and posting on Quora!) during the period of time when I was “preparing” for my A Levels. I was studying at a rather mediocre pace- which was eons better than what I was doing in school before (or not doing, hur hur).

Then I got invited to meet my country’s Prime Minister.

I can’t overstate this- This was much bigger than me. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I was a moderate political blogger at a time where the Government was taking an interest in bloggers. This was in August 2012. The whole time, I remember thinking- why am I studying differential equations (which are pretty damn cool, to be honest, but I’m distracted by other things that interest me more) when I have this audience waiting for me, when there are real world politics to get involved in and contribute to?

My interest in (and focus on) my examinations went completely out the window. I focused instead on writing about my experience. I didn’t feel like I had a choice- I was drawn to it, and couldn’t study at all. (The result was this blog post, which got me a lot of attention locally: So what’s PM Lee Hsien Loong like in person?) My blog hits went through the roof.

Just when I was starting to wrap my head around all the attention, I received news that I was one of Quora’s Top Writers 2012. It was a rather emotional moment for me- I was always one of those guys who spent way too much time on the internet- my friends and family would often laugh about it, sometimes mock me for it. I was that weird guy who took Internet discussions way too seriously. And suddenly- after practically a decade- I received validation for it.

All of this was pretty cool and overwhelming. I made up my mind that I was going to make a living as a writer some day. I wanted to be a man of letters, writing essays and having conversations about important issues with important people. I imagined that I would never be able to be open about this- it would have to be something I did “on the side” while I found a day job of sorts.

And then I got an email from Dinesh of ReferralCandy asking to meet for coffee. (He’d found my blog, and he was looking for somebody to run theirs.)

At this point, I was actually thinking of trying for a job as cabin crew with Singapore Airlines. I thought it was a pretty romantic idea- travel the world and write in quaint little cafes. I still think that’s a pretty cool idea, and maybe I’ll do that someday.

I thought I’d meet Dinesh anyway, because I thought tech startups were pretty cool (I blame all of you cool techies here on Quora), and I also thought it would be interesting to have a conversation with somebody who was actually running one. (I’m just endlessly curious like that.)

He talked to me about their referral programs. Everything made perfect sense to me, and sounded pretty exciting. I sent the link to my wife (whose intuition is absolutely sick.) She gave me the thumbs up. He offered me a job. I told him I’d give SIA a shot first. (I didn’t make it past the first round! I think I was too “down-to-earth”. Oh well.) And so I went back to ReferralCandy… And here I am.

^That’s my workspace. I’ve always wanted a dual monitor setup, but I’ve never had a good reason… until now. Hell yeah.

I feel like I’m living a dream right now. I mean, I’m at work, actually, and I’m writing this.  I’m in charge of our Blog and Social Media strategy, so I’m basically being paid to investigate tech-related stuff (which I find really exciting), and to do what I already love doing (writing, and having conversations with people.) My colleagues are incredibly intelligent and they manage to be simultaneously idealistic and pragmatic and just lovely in every way imaginable.

My office is pretty awesome too. It’s bright and cheery- and yes, there’s a guitar! Wowza.

We’re located at Block 71, which is where a whole other bunch of startups are located, too. The atmosphere is pleasant and positive, with random quirky murals about. I’ve walked past an office that seems to be all about video game character designs. SO. COOL.

Somebody pinch me. I’m living my dream.