Transition: How it all begin

 

When I decided to shift careers, everything began. Identifying what I want to achieve as I venture into programming. I first believed this journey would focus simply on my desire to switch careers. God, however, has different plans for me.

     When the journey began, I also spent some time briefly joining an online tech community. In several of the online gatherings, I met a variety of individuals. Some individuals have only recently begun learning programming, those who are interested in doing so, those who are switching careers, etc. During the first few meetings, God prompted me to befriend one of the participants in the online tech community for who knows what purpose or reasons. Sean is his name. I fought with the prompting for around a week after it occurred as I could not make sense of it.

 "Why was that a thought I struggled with?"

     First of all, I have no idea who he is. He appears to be living in Selangor/KL. The only thing I can understand about him is that we have a slightly comparable history (from engineering to software developer). He also appears to be rather out of bound (primarily due to the distance). Some claim that you can develop friendships online. I kind of agree with that statement. But, I never tried to establish friends using an online platform. In addition, I think this is impossible for me as I prefer face-to-face conversation. In the end, I chosen to text him. To see if he would be willing to share his learning process (his journey into IT industries) and how the transformation went thru a video call. As someone who is just getting started, I want to see how the big picture looks and to see if there is any indication of why God prompted me to come to know him. He agreed to have a video call.

    During our conversation, He shared his experience working as a frontend web developer for a fintech company. Along with it, we also improved our mutual understanding. He is a Christian and the same age as me, which surprised me. What a coincidence! However, I don't think that is sufficient to understand the "Why," I thought. When I learned that he is a fellow Christian brother, it seemed like a clue from God, but I wasn't sure how to proceed. During our first conversion, I almost wanted to tell him why I wanted to approach him. But I was too anxious to mention it. If I were him, I imagine I would be stressed out if I said all of that to a stranger on the internet.

    The prompting returned after another one to two weeks, and this time I could ignore it no more. So I began to consider how I would convey my intention while attempting to avoid any misunderstandings. It was challenging. I believe that most people would use phrases like, "I want to be your friend and get to know you more," or something like that. My brain, however, has another foolish idea. Expressing my intent by writing a really long article. Increasing the likelihood that the reader will become overwhelmed.

 “Nice plan, genius!”.

     After I finished writing it, I sent it to him the following day. You might be wondering. Was it scary when you sent it out? Being scared is an understatement. I was panicking like crazy. All the thoughts starting to rush in.

 “How the f*** did I send that out !?”

 “This is gonna backfire real bad…”

 “What would he thinks when he sees it…”

 “You know what? If it is an open door from God, so shall it be, and if is not, so shall it be as well. Don’t freak out, Po. Let’s see how it goe

           (Patiently waiting for his reply...)

    After a few days, he replied. He seemed cool with it, which is totally not what I am expecting, and he was also taken aback by how frank I was in stating my intentions. It appears that it is, after all, a door that God has opened. Although it could be premature to draw any firm conclusions. However, a part of me was glad that it happened. After my previous encounter, I thought I would never again feel or experience this. I wasn't prepared for a lot of the surprises that came my way.

     The story didn't finish here, either. Because of the epidemic at the time, our nation was on lockdown. I had the opportunity to join his church CG online. Before that, I was looking for a Christian community. However, I didn't take any initiative to look for it because it was during the lockdown and I had no idea how or where to begin.

     Sean suggested I consider joining his church CG after noticing I was seeking a community. When I went to his CG session for the first time on a Friday night (early September 2021). I was a little anxious. That day was CG twinning. Just to let you know, I am a shy person. You can roughly imagine how it feels like to be in a gathering where there are about 20 people and you only know one person. However, it was a positive and fascinating first-time experience. I was surprised that I was able to open up and share my prior experiences and challenges because everyone there is so friendly. It almost reminds me of how I felt when I first attended the KVBC Bible Conference.

     After that session, I decided to join more often to find out more and see where this journey would lead. Though at the same time, I also asked myself.

“What happens after that?” (As in one day if they go back to physically gathering.)

Would that be the end of it? I hope not.

“I am in Melaka and they are in PJ.”

“Will I be in PJ soon? I wonder.”

"I remember telling Sean."

“I'm grateful for your help throughout these times especially when I keep asking for the CG link (almost every week) haha. As I am still considering whether to official join the group because one is I wouldn't know when I will be in KL and I wouldn't want to be like join the group but end up didn't join the rest of the CG sessions in long terms. I hope you can bare with me till I am ready to decide whether to join the group. I feel that I should have explain to you earlier but yeah...Sorry for the inconvenient caused and thanks for being patience.”

     Yes, there were doubts. However, some part of me feels that things would maybe somehow work out. Maybe God is giving me some assurance. As time goes by, I realized I started to prioritize attending CG almost every Friday. It is incredible to see how the sense of belonging was built in such a short time. I can only say God’s love is incredible. Seeing how His love is displayed thru the community opened up my heart and my eyes. In addition, there are many times I’m encouraged by hearing how God has worked in their life. Seeing how God leads each brother and sister in Christ reminds me to reflect on how God led me throughout my life. Indeed, everything has its season and timing. In that season, I believe God is preparing me to make my transition to Selangor/KL.

     In November 2021, I and my friends went for a short trip to Selangor/KL. I was excited about it as I would get to meet up with my university CF friends and Sean for the first time. We met up at old town white coffee in Paradigm mall. When I saw him, the first thought that came to mind was he was a little shorter than I anticipated (jokes aside). I remembered he mentioned that I was a little taller than he anticipated. We had our conversation mostly on web development coz we are both quite into it. During that period, it almost felt like we could go on for hours as if we were long-lost friends whom we had not met for years. Glad to say that I had the opportunity to meet up with him.

     In February 2022, I had the chance to meet up with Max, Caryl, Caleb, and Mandy in Melaka when they were traveling back from Kluang (as they had a mission trip). We met at Calanthe Art Cafe for lunch. At first, I was a little nervous but at the same time felt very excited as this was my first time meeting them. We had fellowship and it was fun getting to know each other more. (Max’s text caught me by surprise. In the back of my mind, I was thinking. Wow, my CG members want to meet up with me in Melaka, that’s kinda cool!).

     In March 2022, I officially joined Alphabet CG! The topic was initiated when I told Sean that I can’t wait to meet up with them in PJ and he suggested that I join their WhatsApp group since I have been attending regularly. You might be wondering. Aren’t you uncertain whether you would be working in KL? Yes, part of me was uncertain. But part of me also feels that the day will come soon. If you were to ask me in January this year or the end of last year, I think my confidence level is not even halfway there.

     I began my first transition from being a mechanical engineer to a frontend web developer in October 2021, and I've been doing it ever since. I decided to stay in Melaka for an additional six months because the employer allowed work from home (WFH). I discovered there was a lack of direction when I was working there, and if I wanted to keep working, I would choose to work in at least a hybrid workplace. I resorted to looking for employment with another company. The job search was first pretty frightening for me because it was another step into the unknown. Some of me were concerned that finding work would be difficult due to my lack of experience, but I was eager to get to PJ as soon as possible. I had no idea that my motivation would be driven by the desire to be a part of the community. The desire to spend time with God's people. It is as though God is giving me another reason to look for work. I let go of my fears and put my faith in God, knowing that He knows what is best for me.

     By the grace of God, I found a new job in KL in April 2022. When I received an offer, I was overjoyed. Seeing how God led me to all of those open doors was more than I could have hoped for. It was an incredible experience. If it were to be true, I would not have predicted all of this a year ago. From online meetings to physical gatherings. From Melaka to Kuala Lumpur. A mechanical engineer turned web developer. From cold to slightly warmer. I pray that as I journey on. He would continue to lead me and reveal His purpose for bringing me here.