Why we are writing

More than two years since we first started this blog, we’d like to answer some of the most commonly answered questions about us, like who we are, why we are writing, and what is the future for us.

A lot of people may find our content somewhat controversial and against common advice. But we believe there is a side to things that are under-represented and missing in the world today that needs to be spoken.

Who we are

We are a group of young engineers who graduated from the University of Toronto (U of T). All of us have come from humble, immigrant backgrounds and have grinded our way to where we are today, working at well-known firms, making over six figures, having good relationships with people, and owning properties in HCOL locations.

No sugarcoating it, this process was painful. From watching our parents struggle for basic finances and fitting into a new society and culture, then going through all the bullying in grade school, followed by years of engineering school often against our wills (yeah the doctor, lawyer, engineer, or bust mindset instilled by our immigrant parents).

We are by no means successful yet, but we have a proven formula for how to make it work. We take the engineering approach that we are taught to solve our problems and improve ourselves. It takes dedication, hard work, and putting aside your differences and feelings. We believe this needs to be shared with the world, especially the Western world we live in, as some of these virtues are rapidly eroding. We try to reflect upon our experiences and share what worked and didn’t work for us.

We also discussed and analyzed broader societal issues when we hung out. I wish some of these conversations were recorded. So now we are trying our best to bring these conversations to life by posting them here. We write these blogs together and review them together. While we don’t expect everyone to agree with our sentiments, we do hope that at least some people will find value in these writings.

What we write about

Initially, this blog was about informing students regarding university and career decisions, namely surrounding U of T and engineering. However, we realized a lot of things we talked about in making these career decisions are relevant in a greater context, especially in everyone’s personal lives, and why we are seeing certain phenomena in society today.

With information and knowledge being so easily accessible today, but most people glued to popular media and social media, a lot of people are taking what they see and often don’t see the other, darker side of things. Most people don’t want to talk about it either, or rather, are afraid of talking about it. However, these are the very things that successful people are taught from a young age. These people know the truths of this world that many don’t, which is why they are successful. We hope to bring some of these issues to light and how to better yourself as a result.

We try our best to give you a raw, unfiltered view of our discussions. Our writing may not sound pretty, but in engineering, function is more important than form. This is our attempt at conveying our ideas to the world, ideas that we believe need to be heard. What you want to do with these ideas is up to you, but we try our best to give concrete advice in our writings. At the end of the day, we as engineers are to solve problems.

Many people may not agree with our viewpoints, but presenting these viewpoints helps generate debate, which is how ideas become refined and improved, which drives change and progress. Remember, we are trying to learn as well, and we believe there is no better way of learning than to carry out and apply the knowledge.

Finally, we are thankful for where we are today and would like to give back to the world that made us who we are. This blog is an expression of our gratitude for those who have helped us along the way.

Why we are writing

Rationalism is unpopular in the current world. People place way too much value on their feelings. People are afraid to talk about the truth. Many people today are simply unaware of the truth. Even if they are aware, they tend to deny these facts to “feel good”. However, it is often counterintuitive, as more people than ever today are unhappy or are struggling with mental health.

The truth is often harsh and painful. But as we are taught in engineering, in order to solve problems (whether it’s your own personal problems, engineering problems, or greater societal issues), one needs to understand the root causes in order to formulate a good, long-term solution. Oftentimes, one must decide between short-term pain vs. long-term pain, but most people rather “be happy” now and suffer in the long run.

Individualism has run rampant in the West for many years now, and the traditional, moralistic values that we were brought up with within our immigrant cultures have eroded as a result. Hard work, dedication, discipline, and healthy debate are no longer valued, whether in professional or personal contexts.

People have become more carefree, irresponsible, ignorant, and hostile. People start “cancelling” each other over minor disagreements rather than engaging in healthy conversation. Families and societies are a lot more fragmented as a result. We believe it is the very cause of many of our societal problems right now.

A lot of what we talk about in these blogs is the erosion of traditional values in the professional world, dating world, personal lives, and global affairs. But more importantly, it’s about how to think logically about all these issues, and better yourself using this knowledge. Although we agree that tradition has its flaws, one should not simply be rejecting them. As an engineer, we are taught to consider different solutions, and often it’s just better to follow the proven formula.

Common sense is on the decline. We believe if the current trajectory of our society continues, we are headed for darker times. We’ve already seen some of this happen in recent years. Progress isn’t always linear. Sometimes it involves taking steps back to move forward. It is up to all of us to correct this trajectory and better the world.

What the future holds

We plan to continue writing about the things we write. Everything from career, self-improvement, technology, culture, dating, economics, and society. Eventually, we look to start a podcast or something similar.

While we don’t intentionally promote this blog, we believe people will find themselves here. You are here for a reason. We don’t want to forcibly push these ideas onto people, but rather let people choose what they want to see. We believe the truth will reveal itself eventually.

As the world becomes more unstable each year, we hope more people can wake up to the truths of this world, and do a part in making the world a better place.

Cheers to more years of writing!