<aside> ☠️ Right now the AI doomer vibe is real. And CS grads have the highest unemployment rate. Not looking too good init?

</aside>

Unfortunately given the current tech cycle, it's really unpredictable and not something u can just succeed just by grinding leetcode. However I believe that there is no better time to study CS / Math / physics because it will determine what happens in the next decade.

First off why should you listen to me?

I recently just graduated SUTD 2 months ago and many of my friends have difficulty securing jobs post grad.

I have been consistently working throughout uni as an engineer at the top companies / VCs in the blockchain space. All while being really mid in school, tho I still retain my full scholarship to study CS.

Despite coming from a no name school, but I have had multiple senior engineer offers from the top companies of my space like chainlink, binance, immutable X, paradigm and quant firms even while I was still 1 year from graduating.

I have also had a couple of revenue generating projects throughout my days in uni 5-6 figures cumulatively. These are trading systems, ai saas, arb bots. Some of those are still running in the background as I am experimenting with new ideas, pitching to people and getting feedback.

Currently, I am leading engineering at a startup building trading systems in decentralised finance. While I still have lots to learn, I am the top of my field in my niche which is defi infrastructure which is also reflected in the compensation package.

All these while still maintaining a 6 packs (proof) and having a girlfriend / normal social life (not a social butterfly due to tradeoffs but I am grateful for y'all). You can read more about me at chiayong.com.

But enough of the flex man, but I just wanted to contextualise that it's possible to have all the best things while in uni by sacrificing some stupid shit and being really strategic.

Here's the thing, I am not the smartest guy in the room. Ofc there is some like that's involved, but if I can boil down the decisions made to timeless principles, I think these payoffs can be replicated and potentially even to a greater degree for you!

Let’s go on to the to real stuff and share the learnings and failures below! 👇