Be curious. This simple, two word piece of advice can be heard across time in the words of leaders like Albert Einstein, Simon Sinek, Walt Disney and Ted Lasso. If we are curious, we are learning and growing. And when we are learning and growing, we make positive impacts on ourselves and those around us.
Being curious just happens to be second nature for Ryan Songcuan, a software engineer here at Daycos. The proof starts in his journey to the field of computer science. That bachelor’s degree is his second, his first leaned into his passion for sports and business. But why stop there when your curiosity has you asking what will move the dial the most in our industry and for our business in the next five years? For Ryan, the answer is you don’t. His next stop in formal education is to pursue a Masters of Science in Analytics with an emphasis in Computational Data from Georgia Tech. Because data science plays a role in forecasting for the future. It provides information we can be curious about and make decisions from.
This specific program will allow him to marry that original passion for business with his newer love of computer science to complete a long-term dream of obtaining a Master’s Degree. And, when asked what success at the end of this project looks like, Ryan defined it as getting to work implementing what he learns into the work he does every day. His curiosity led to learning, which will lead to positive impacts for all of us.
Some people might be asking how in the world does the average human being take this on while working full-time and practicing a healthy work-life balance. So did we. Ryan was candid in saying that it won’t be easy, but he believes it will be worth it. There will be days when he will have to force himself to buckle down and do the work. And on those same days remember to make time for the things in life- like family, travel, and taking in the big game- that make life worth doing.
He also nodded to the culture of Daycos that offers time for employees to work on personal growth projects, provides resources for them to do so, and opened up the possibility for him to obtain a scholarship from the International Association of Movers that will fund nearly half his program costs.
As Ryan embraces growth, we were curious about what advice he might have for others when considering taking on a project of their own. His answer? Ask questions. Seek support from others. And if your first idea stops being compelling, don’t be afraid to find out what it is and then find someone to talk it all through again.
In short, don’t be afraid to be curious.
