The 5Qs with Marcus Ong
The IPRS President, Juat Muay interviews one of the youngest member of the IPRS, Marcus Ong. He was an active member of the IPRS Murdoch University Student Chapter and is now an Associate Member of the IPRS. He is currently the Marketing Communications Executive at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove.
Juat asked Marcus to share his thoughts on what matters to him most in his professional journey. We are inspired by his singular belief in curiosity.
Juat: What matters to you most in your professional journey so far?
Marcus: One of the most important things on my list is staying curious and having the hunger to learn. Curiosity leads you to places you never knew you wanted to go, and that was exactly what happened to me. I followed the call of my curiosity in my teens, trying to understand how news is sourced and made. There are no surprises here, but maybe curiosity did not kill the cat after all. If anything, the lion’s appetite only made me appreciate the power of storytelling more by making a career out of it.
Juat: And why does it matter?
Marcus: Having a curious mind has helped me develop professionally and personally. While the confronting fear of the unknown can be pretty intimidating at first, it slowly grew on me and on many different fronts. Curiosity is the bridge between knowing nothing and knowing everything. This space keeps me engaged and enthusiastic about the work I do. By approaching my work with the curiosity of my teenage self, I have found it easier to learn about anything and everything, even if it means unlearning and relearning altogether.
Juat: What have you discovered and learned?
Marcus: I was fortunate to realize early on that knowledge takes time to solidify. You simply cannot rush the process. It is important that we tread the untrodden by pacing ourselves slowly and carefully. Curiosity keeps us on our toes because it is impossible to keep everything under control even after you make the best preparation for it. Make use of the novelty effect, and we might actually end up learning more about ourselves. Learn to celebrate the small wins instead of chasing after that big-ticket item. Slow down and wait a bit to see where life takes you. Give yourself a little more credit while you are at it.
Juat: Would you continue or do it differently?
Marcus: Knowledge is power. I will continue to take more chances and learn even more new things. While it is easy to look back and wish I had done certain things differently, I have learned to embrace failure and take it in my stride by failing forward. It is a bit of a cliché, but I agree with how the only limits are those you impose upon yourself, at least in some respects – yet, as the saying goes – if you set your goals ridiculously high, you will fail above everyone else’s success.
Juat: Any last words?
Marcus: Advice for fellow young professions - curiosity is not always piqued by everything you explore. It is a subtle muse, and sometimes the degree of that curiosity can be different. If you feel a spark of curiosity, run with it. Because for as long as I remember, I was never the loudest in the room, but I wanted to learn how to write out loud. Like missing pieces to a puzzle, great things can happen if you find a way to connect the dots, just like how I did.
We thank Marcus for sharing his journey with the IPRS Community.