I've entered into a new phase of life. The first 2 weeks into working life has been a steep learning curve. Being in the civil service has both its merits and demerits. Merits would include stability and emphasis on training (lotsa it!) while demerits include slower progression in terms of ranks, wages and lots of red tapes. Being in the economist profession no doubt leans to my personality, however the working environment is filled with people who are smarter than you. I'm not sure if this should be viewed as a positive or negative point. With regards to emphasis on training, I think civil service place a higher emphasis than most companies.In fact, I'm excited to go for courses that upgrade my current set of technical skills. Reading stuff from various sources, I think it's essential to develop both a career and financial plan.Here it goes.. Career Plan 1. Aim to get into ES before head of department leaves -Be Proactive -Write x papers(to be determined) -Be proficient in your portfolio5k -Learn both technical and soft skills: VBA, Microsoft access (In case you want to jump) 2. Get a masters in either Stats, Economics or MPA Financial Plan 1. Pay up your debt -Friend: June,July -Aunt: August, September -Mum: October, November, December *3 (Including bonuses) 2.Start with a clean slate -Invest half of income: Value average ETFs -Save half of income for marriage Effectivness Plan (Refer to summary of 7 habits) 1. Be proactive 2. Begin with end in mind 3. Put first things first 4. Think win/win 5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood 6. Synergize 7. Sharpen the saw Personal Plan 1. Visit maid 2. Get married in 4 years

After applying to around 60+ jobs, I finally found a job in the civil service as an economist. I can say this is kind of unexpected and it feels real good because I'm able to find a job that leans towards my strength, personality and interest. The interview process was really tedious and rigorous which kind of affected my grades in a way. But I got to say that this is a good trade off given that my priority was to find a job. However, I've got to give myself a final push towards the finishing line since my remuneration is dependent on my honours which is potentially $3000/ year- a large sum if I were to stay in the civil service for many years coupled with the compounded effect.

Another thing that I am proud of is to finish a thesis with the same topic from my internship. It's something that I always wanted to do in an academic way, as opposed to the management consultancy way that I employed in my internship paper. Need to give myself a pat on my back given that my teammate freeloaded on me. Not that I care since this is the most effective way in learning things.

It's time to say good bye.When I revisit my blog next time, I hope to obtain my desired class of honours and enjoy my job at the same time.