Amanda Cua was always big on education. She thinks she must take off and have a bright future ahead. Before the pandemic, her life revolved inside the school, and she spent her days and free time studying. Even on weekends, her life revolved on school-related stuff. One time in her last two years of learning, a classmate told her that if that person were to describe Amanda, s/he would say that Amanda is constantly studying and very quiet. She only talks when answering questions from the teacher or laughing, but the teacher mostly laughs at the jokes. The other things that she'll be doing are writing her notes and studying. Amanda would also spend her lunch eating or just studying.

Amanda sees studying as a privilege and very important, especially since she lives in a South-East Asian country. Before, she felt like she had one goal in life. She also thought that if she received a quality education and worked hard in school, she would have the best opportunities in life, and she would be successful if she worked hard and studied hard. Amanda studied hard to get into an excellent college, and then she would work hard enough for a fantastic job. Amanda was already set on two outcomes. One, be super successful and make money through her career or two, it is almost the same thing, but instead of a job, she would work on an outstanding company, then start something of her own and become successful. It was a straight line, and that was something she was set on. Everything in her plan was foolproof not until the pandemic struck. Not going to college was a tough decision for her, especially since it was not a part of her plan. 

The pandemic made her make a huge decision. She chose not to go to college and enrolled in a start-up where she would learn how to code. Amanda was starting to get back on track and planned to take all the necessary learnings from there and bring them with her so she could use them in the future. Amanda also thought it would look good on her background once she applies for a job after college. Besides academic knowledge, she also knows how to code. Everything was set not until she realized she was terrible with coding. Fortunately, she got to talk to the founders of the start-up, and they asked her if she could be their first employee. She agreed and stayed there for over a year since she had nothing to do during the pandemic, so why not take the opportunity. 

Amanda shows that even if you have plans for yourself, the best things come in unexpectedly, and it turns out it was meant for you. Don't be afraid and trust the process. If you know you can do it, then go for it. The pandemic has taught everyone to take risks and get out of their comfort zone. If you can't afford the risks, find a way around them. Keep working for your dreams because you will get there whether or not it's part of your plan.