Turning Setbacks into Stepping Stones

Growing up, I always excelled in Humanities and English, but when it came to Maths and Science, I just couldn't keep up. The plan was simple: use my strengths in Humanities to get me into polytechnic, since my abilities in Science weren't doing me any favours. But after failing Maths pretty spectacularly, I felt like a huge disappointment. It didn’t help that both of my amazing sisters had gone to polytechnic directly, with my eldest sister even achieving a single-digit O-Level result. That was wild. It felt like I had big shoes to fill, and I was falling short.

In our education system, failing even one subject can feel like it defines your future since it can hold you back from moving forward. It limits you, especially if that failure has nothing to do with your dream or the path you want to pursue. Failing Maths felt like that kind of failure. But one of the biggest lessons I learned during this disappointing time was how important it is to have a solid support system. For me, that was my family. They encouraged me to carve my own path, even if it wasn’t the “normal” or expected route. Instead of pushing me to follow in my sisters' footsteps, they reassured me that it was okay to take a different approach and to focus on figuring out what I wanted, not what seemed like the only option.

I realised, though, that my options were limited without passing Maths, so I pushed myself to retake it. When I fell short again, I made what felt like a tough decision to go to ITE, knowing it was going to be a longer journey than I originally planned. At first, I didn’t want to go to ITE. The stigma of going there made it feel like a step backward, and I feared being left behind while my friends moved on to polytechnic. However, I eventually decided I wanted to take control of my future and stop wallowing in self-pity. With the support of my family, I tried my best to turn away from the negative thoughts I was feeding myself, and even though I was aware of the social stigmas surrounding ITE, I came to realise that it wasn’t a failure. I found that it was a place for me to grow. It helped me develop both academically and personally. Some people may label it as a lesser path, but that simply isn’t true.

Yes, failing Maths was a setback, but the rest of my journey was not a failure. The reality is that going to ITE wasn’t a sign that I had fallen short — it was a stepping stone that helped me mature, learn, and eventually move forward. With my own determination and the encouragement of my family, I worked hard and ended up excelling in ITE, which eventually led me to Singapore Polytechnic.

My long-term goal has always been to earn good money so that I can take care of my family, and ITE was part of that journey. Success isn’t always about how quickly you reach the destination, but about how much you grow along the way. The “right” way isn’t the same for everyone. Going to polytechnic is not the only path to success, but I chose it because it aligns with my goal of creating a stable future for myself and my family.

If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s that a single failure doesn’t define you. You have to get up, dust yourself off, and take small steps forward. Even if it feels like you're moving at a snail's pace, progress is progress. Find the people who will stand by you through those baby steps and hold your hand along the way. If I had to, I’d do it all over again. Those experiences are priceless, and they made me who I am today.

In the end, the journey might be longer, but it’s yours. And that makes all the difference.