A near-death experience made this 35-year-old stop caring about what others thought about his career choices

This article was written in support of Learning Minds.

SINGAPORE — A near-death experience made Mr Shane Ang realise that life was too short to care about what others thought of him.

In March last year, he crashed while sledding in Switzerland resulting in a cracked skull, eight broken vertebrae and a chest fracture.

While the 35-year-old was recovering in hospital, he decided that he would spend less time worrying about what others thought of him, especially in terms of his career choices. 

"Now I just focus on doing what brings meaning to me and I know things will fall in place if done from the heart," he told TODAY. 

Mr Ang, who is now an urban farmer and education lead in the agritech industry recalls how for many years he just did what was "expected" of him including going to elite schools and studying architecture  — a course known to be difficult to enter unless one performed well academically.  

His first job was in a property development company doing project management, which is one of the typical post-university paths of architecture graduates. 

But over time, the job required him to constantly put pressure on the team he was overseeing — something that eventually took an emotional toll on him. 

It meant "a lot of taking from people", he said. "You’re scolding people and you're taking energy out of them, imposing deadlines and demanding things.” 

This stern persona that he adopted at work also slowly seeped into his own personal life, and as a result, he became more short-tempered over time.

In 2018, Mr Ang reached his "breaking point" and quit after four years, then deciding to embark on an unconventional career path teaching yoga, fishing and becoming a snowboarding guide, among other things. 

“I wanted to do something that rejuvenated me instead, like giving back to society and helping people grow,” he said. But the cloud of other people's expectations continued to hang over his head.

Said Mr Ang: “The biggest struggle I face in changing careers was an internal one, always at the back of my head worrying what others might think of my decisions… worrying about being on the receiving end of condescending perspectives like ‘oh he is no longer in a proper job’." 

While recovering from his accident, Mr Ang said he realised that he had to base his decisions on what he wants, instead of allowing other people’s perceptions to influence him. That meant that staying committed to his desire to keep on trying new things and pursuing those he enjoyed. 

During this time, it was while he started growing his own herbs to feed his pet rabbit that he decided to pursue a job in his current field: agritechnology. 

Agritechnology involves using technology to make farming processes more efficient.  

So, Mr Ang took on several courses on agritechnology including a three-week urban farming course by NTUC Learning Hub, which consisted of online and physical classes, as well as visits to a farm. 

When asked what advice he would give to people thinking of pursuing unconventional career paths, Mr Ang said: "Just do what fills your cup and what you are good at.

"And if you take pride at what you do, it will definitely bring you far."