A Glimpse Into My Student Life
My name is Amalia, and I am currently a final year BBA (Hons.) Investment Management student. This will be my first post on my blog. I was inspired by my lecturer, Mr. Syamsyul Samsudin, to start writing — although I am aware that my writing level and knowledge are nowhere near his. Despite that, I wanted a space to share my own experiences and my journey as an investment student so far.
So, I created this blog to document my life as someone studying Investment Management, and as a student who previously graduated with a Diploma in Investment Analysis.
It all started when I was a freshman back in 2021, right after finishing high school and receiving my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), also known as the Malaysian Certificate of Education. Yes, I was part of Batch 03 — the first group to sit for SPM during COVID-19, famously called Batch Pro Max. Should I write about my SPM struggles? Hmmm… maybe that will be in my next post!
Let’s continue with my early days in the Diploma in Investment Analysis.
At first, I was quite lost. I looked at other people and thought, “Hmm… they seem to know their stuff so well…” The reason I chose this diploma? Honestly, because of my beloved mom. After SPM, I had no idea what career path to pursue. Don’t get me wrong — I did those psychometric tests in high school, but I still wasn’t sure about anything. So I followed my mom’s recommendation.
Now that it’s already 2025 and I am a final year student in Investment Management, I can honestly say that I am still not fully sure what I want to become.
During my diploma, especially in Semester 3, 4, and 5, I started questioning myself. I was a dean’s list student at that time, and I remember asking myself: “Does your dean’s list actually prove your skills, capabilities, and abilities?”
I took a moment to reflect. Yes, it feels nice to have academic achievements, but I realised that achievement without knowledge is nothing. When I eventually work in a company, they may ask about my achievements at first, but over time, they will forget about that. Worse, they might question my skills. In my opinion, academic achievements without technical skills may not be enough. But if you have technical skills, Insha’Allah, academic achievements will follow.
From that day onward, I set a new target for myself: don’t memorise — understand.
I also took some personality and learning style tests to understand my characteristics and who I am as a person. For me, academic achievements without real skills feel quite meaningless. There were times when I felt I wasn’t good enough and needed guidance on how to improve. But the most crucial thing I realised was the importance of having a good circle — something I didn’t really have back then.
Everything changed when I applied to join the FutureReady Programme under Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman (YTAR). Not going to lie, it was something completely new. I’m not that fluent in English, and this programme was 100% in English. It was definitely outside my comfort zone. But I managed to meet amazing people, and I learned so much from the experience.
The biggest lesson I gained was how much your environment affects you as an individual. The programme coordinators emphasised four key cohort norms: inclusivity, punctuality, participation, and respect. Boom. The experience I gained from this programme is something I would never trade for anything else. It made me realise how valuable it is to have a good circle — people who want to grow together with the same mindset and energy.
Now, as a final year student, I know I still have a lot of skills to develop. But I want to take it slowly and go with the flow. I hope that during my internship, I will gain more exposure, learn new things, and finally be able to decide the career path I want to pursue.
This journey is far from perfect, but it is mine — and I’m grateful for every lesson along the way. I’m still a work in progress, and that’s okay. I pray that the next chapter, especially my internship, will help me understand myself better and find the right direction for my future.
— 21:49, 29 November 2025
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