Technology is not just a profession; it’s a journey with its own challenges and rewards. Throughout my journey in tech, I’ve experienced both highs and lows. And today, I want to share a personal story with you to inspire those struggling to find their spark.

Contrary to popular belief, most engineers are creative people. We dream big and aspire to create tools and software that will disrupt the world. But let’s face it: the tech industry isn’t always sunshine and rainbows.

I know what it feels like to lose my passion for tech. I worked for a big corporation and had managers who constantly undermined my work and made me feel like I wasn’t good enough. I felt like I was making no impact, and my creative spark started to fade away. It was a difficult time for me. I retracted from community events around the city, even though they would happen in person. I stopped creating random projects or even wanted to read the latest news in tech.

It took me almost a year to realize that it was OK to feel like this, and I did not fail. There is still a spark left in me. I had an epiphany — why not list all the crazy ideas in my head? They may take years to come to fruition, but that’s the fun part — envisioning them! I’m talking text-to-audio in ANYONE’s voice — Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, you name it! And how about making old photos come to life by making them move and talk? Now, THAT would be something to see

I pitched one of my ideas at FOSS Asia, which was accepted. I created a ChatGPT Chrome extension that could change the sentiment of any sentence online with a simple right-click. It was thrilling to have my talk accepted, and it motivated me to believe that there was still light at the end of the tunnel.

So, to all those struggling to find their spark, keep going. Don’t give up on your dreams. We are in this together. If you need help, reach out to me. Let’s inspire each other to keep dreaming and innovating. Like our girl RiRi, who went from “Umbrella” to billionaire, you can reignite that spark and achieve greatness.