azlan69
Sep 9, 2024
Undergraduate / Chat with friends - lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success [2]
An uncomplicated chat with friends during my 10th-grade school sparked an idea that would later expand into a larger project. Our teacher had notified us about an entrepreneurship competition that would take place soon, where interesting ideas were to be presented by students from all around the area. My three friends and I chose to participate in it out of excitement at the challenge. We went to a local eatery, brainstorming for hours with a single-minded determination to create something meaningful. Finally through a lot of long discussions, we decided on an idea; software that can detect mask wearers which we thought would be a public safety enhancement solution. We imagined our software being applied in public places so as to enable authorities recognize individuals even if they are masked. With this as our main motivation, we invested weeks' worth of research and development into our concept. The programming languages Python and C++ were selected while we spent several hours on coding and testing on most occasions until late night when day broke. At this moment, my realization about the big blunder that we made was not clear yet. In our excitement to get into it, we forgot how necessary mentoring is for such undertakings. We thought we could manage on our own but did not know that the task was so complicated and therefore required guidance from veterans in the field. As we were coming closer to judgment day, final touches were put on our software and our pitch deck. On that day I went on stage as the Chief Executive Officer, this was all nerves as I explained what we had come up with before those who would judge us. But disappointment soon followed excitement. The judges dismissed our software on the grounds that it was outdated and played out. Another team had advanced their similar idea employing a more sophisticated technology and thus bettering our presentation. The negation was painful however, it also became the most important event in my life for learning. I reviewed this event and found out that there were several main reasons we failed:
(1) lacked experienced mentors.
(2) Lack of thorough examination into whether there were already same projects out there made our idea neither unique nor original.
(3) We had too much belief in ourselves hence could not see flaws in our approach. Insufficient period for testing hence we ended up with a less refined product.
(4) Our solution lacked innovation because we did not try to think beyond the obvious barrier.
(5) Our strategy did no change so far when setbacks occurred instead this would have given us an alternative better deal.
The experience serves as a reminder why one should be humble when challenges arise. My understanding has been that apart from being passionate and working hard, one must also possess wisdom, be able to adapt and be willing to seek help. The failure of our project only made me more determined than ever not to lose my passion for wanting to innovate in other areas. I make sure I look for mentors in every new project I take on, making sure I do thorough research and keep an open mind to feedback. It is important to learn from mistakes rather than view them as setbacks thus they could provide us with good opportunities to expand and advance in life so eventually we will be successful.
An uncomplicated chat with friends during my 10th-grade school sparked an idea that would later expand into a larger project. Our teacher had notified us about an entrepreneurship competition that would take place soon, where interesting ideas were to be presented by students from all around the area. My three friends and I chose to participate in it out of excitement at the challenge. We went to a local eatery, brainstorming for hours with a single-minded determination to create something meaningful. Finally through a lot of long discussions, we decided on an idea; software that can detect mask wearers which we thought would be a public safety enhancement solution. We imagined our software being applied in public places so as to enable authorities recognize individuals even if they are masked. With this as our main motivation, we invested weeks' worth of research and development into our concept. The programming languages Python and C++ were selected while we spent several hours on coding and testing on most occasions until late night when day broke. At this moment, my realization about the big blunder that we made was not clear yet. In our excitement to get into it, we forgot how necessary mentoring is for such undertakings. We thought we could manage on our own but did not know that the task was so complicated and therefore required guidance from veterans in the field. As we were coming closer to judgment day, final touches were put on our software and our pitch deck. On that day I went on stage as the Chief Executive Officer, this was all nerves as I explained what we had come up with before those who would judge us. But disappointment soon followed excitement. The judges dismissed our software on the grounds that it was outdated and played out. Another team had advanced their similar idea employing a more sophisticated technology and thus bettering our presentation. The negation was painful however, it also became the most important event in my life for learning. I reviewed this event and found out that there were several main reasons we failed:
(1) lacked experienced mentors.
(2) Lack of thorough examination into whether there were already same projects out there made our idea neither unique nor original.
(3) We had too much belief in ourselves hence could not see flaws in our approach. Insufficient period for testing hence we ended up with a less refined product.
(4) Our solution lacked innovation because we did not try to think beyond the obvious barrier.
(5) Our strategy did no change so far when setbacks occurred instead this would have given us an alternative better deal.
The experience serves as a reminder why one should be humble when challenges arise. My understanding has been that apart from being passionate and working hard, one must also possess wisdom, be able to adapt and be willing to seek help. The failure of our project only made me more determined than ever not to lose my passion for wanting to innovate in other areas. I make sure I look for mentors in every new project I take on, making sure I do thorough research and keep an open mind to feedback. It is important to learn from mistakes rather than view them as setbacks thus they could provide us with good opportunities to expand and advance in life so eventually we will be successful.
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