Civil Engineering Degree

If I was to apply hindsight to this period I would’ve put more emphasis on the start up world and/or working on a frontier. I would have made less of an effort towards getting higher grades. I didn’t know any better at the time and there were no external influences that could have introduced the mindset I have today. If you visit my “reading list” on this site, you’ll observe that I read few books in my earlier years. So that’s hindsight and we play the cards we’ve been dealt. 

From a young age I was intrigued by megaprojects and decided to learn how to build skyscrapers and bridges. Despite wanting to be an engineer, my most enjoyable subject in school was IT and programming. 

It’s interesting to observe how little I remember from all the university studying. It just goes to show that university is not real learning. But rather an exercise to get good grades. “Parrot learning” if you will. Retention of knowledge happens through genuine intellectual curiosity and learning through failure. We almost always remember the hard problems we had to endure and the lessons that came from them. 

The good grades were not in vain. I had a bursary from my high school and my university gave discounts on fees if distinctions were achieved. I also received a bursary from a company to fund my final year of study in exchange for 1 year employment with said company. With all this funding and support from my family, I left university debt free. During this period, I learned how to put in countless late nights to get the job done. Something I’m still willing to do as and when is needed.