LIKE any typical teenager, Mr Lin Zhihao had no idea what he wanted to do after his A levels in 2001.

Armed with "less than stellar" results, the self-confessed "playful" boy decided on National University of Singapore's (NUS) four-year degree course in computer engineering because "it sounded very cool".

Fortunately, he found his passion in the course of his undergraduate studies and did well enough to be placed on the Dean's List for the past three semesters.

Mr Lin, now 25 and a final-year student at NUS, was also awarded the National Infocomm Scholarship last year.

He says: "My undergraduate days are a seminal period of my life. I met many wonderful professors who stretched my mind and inspired my interest in the subject matter.

"I particularly enjoyed courses on programming and computer networking because I could see their relevance in real life.

"I decided to apply for the partial scholarship with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore because by that time, I was very sure that I wanted a career in information technology (IT).

"I also liked the fact that this is one of the rare government scholarships which allow recipients to serve their bond in the private sector."

Mr Lin adds that his internships at local IT firm Malifax and global IT consultancy firm Accenture reaffirmed his decision on his future career.

He says: "These experiences gave me invaluable insights on what the industry is like and helped me develop a greater awareness of my career aspirations."

As part of the scholarship, Mr Lin, who is attached to StarHub, will go on an overseas attachment when he graduates in May.

He says: "I chose to join StarHub as I felt that telecommunications is a vibrant and dynamic industry. With the advent of Voice Over Internet Protocol and wireless communications, telcos are undergoing an exciting
period of transformation, and I hope to be part of it."

For those applying for a scholarship, here's his advice: Find out what you love to do and go for a scholarship that matches your passion.

He adds, quoting what Apple's chairman and chief executive Steve Jobs said in a commencement
speech at Stanford: "You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.

"And the only way to do great work is to love what you do."

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 19, 2008