Entering a new decade of life is a legit fear for most. It’s the thought of getting older and not having anything to show for that scares most people.
Where the twenties are touted as the best years of one’s life, it’s no doubt that turning 30 would bring about a sense of fear with it too. But what about the anticipation and excitement of hitting 30? Is there even one?
We spoke to a bunch of 29-year-old Malaysians to find out if the fear of turning 30 is in fact a real thing, on top of their hopes and aspirations of entering the start of a new decade in life.
1. Eliza Lee
Eliza Lee is co-founder and partner of OpenMindsHK. It is a digital marketing and tech startup which has recently expanded to Hong Kong. Eliza is currently based there to grow the Hong Kong arm of Open Minds.
The highlight of Eliza’s twenties was building her very first startup, Phat Culture, when she was 20 and still in uni. If she could tell her 20-year-old self one thing, it would be to keep working hard but to remember to have fun at the same time. “It is fine to make mistakes and fail in your 20s; these failures will eventually build you up to be strong, stubborn and impenetrable,” she said.
When asked if she fears her thirties, Eliza said, “I’ve heard from some friends that your 30s can be even more awesome than your 20s…so I am actually looking forward to it. Bigger adventures are always ahead and I think that age is just a number.”
As for her thirties, Eliza hopes to achieve great career highlights, that in her 40s, she will look back on her 30s and be proud of what she’s done. “I also want to travel a little more, experience different work cultures and have an absolutely exciting love life,” Eliza shared.
2. Eugene Tan
Eugene Tan is the co-founder and CEO of CARPUT, a mobile application designed to rescue you within the hour when your car breaks down.
Looking back at his twenties, Eugene has had quite an eventful few years. “In just a decade, I’ve left university, found a job with an amazing boss, returned to Malaysia and started a company. The highlight of my 20s though is getting married to my wife, who has been by my side throughout the decade, witnessing every milestone,” Eugene said.
He doesn’t have much fears about turning 30 and in fact, finds that it is a testament to his parents that he has somehow survived 30 years as a human being. “If there were fears, it’d probably be the old myth that your metabolism rate takes a turn after your 30th birthday. Am I ready for it? Probably not,” Eugene joked.
In his thirties, Eugene hopes to be able to spend more time with his family and hopefully become a father. He also hopes to grow his startup and perhaps even get started on his MBA.
3. Choong Hwei-Ming
4. CJ Ng
CJ is a Production Manager at a manufacturing plant. The highlight of his twenties was his recent trip to Japan as he was able to spend time with his friends and enjoy lots of Japanese food. He also happened to propose to his girlfriend whilst in Japan. “I convinced her to rent a kimono and proposed to her on the steps leading to the Fushimi Inari shrine,” CJ said.
CJ is the sort of guy who never really looks far into the future and prefers to live in the moment. Hence, when asked if his twenties went the way he thought it would, he said that it sorta did, though the biggest difference was how his life eventually played out. Initially, he wasn’t sure if he would be coming back to KL as he was studying in Melbourne. As life would have it, he did return to his homeland.
When asked if he had any fears on turning 30, CJ said, “Eh, I’m actually okay with hitting my 30s. Nothing specific to turning 30 really comes to mind.” However, he hopes to be able to afford another house and grow career-wise during his thirties.
And, if he could meet his 20-year-old self in person, he would tell the younger CJ to “learn to cook and enjoy that cheap gyutan don while you can.”
5. Eddie Liew
Eddie is a freelance fitness instructor at Jatomi Fitness where he teaches a Body Combat class. The highlight of his twenties was solo travelling out of the country.
Eddie shared, “The first time I booked an air ticket, stayed at the hotel by myself and travelled alone is definitely the best feeling ever!”
Though turning 30 does not scare him quite as much, not knowing what’s ahead does. “For someone who doesn’t really plan things in advance, the scariest thing would be the ‘unknown’. Even if I do know what’s to come, it might not turn out how I want it to be. I’m not ready to turn 30 as I think there’s still a lot of things people in their 20s are doing that I have not done,” Eddie said.
6. Pang Ven Xhin
Ven Xhin is the Managing Editor of Vulcan Post, a tech & digital lifestyle publication and the sister publication of DiscoverKL.
The highlight of her twenties was to have the opportunity to go through uni and take 2 courses that she really enjoyed (Psychology and Writing) and then getting to apply both in the jobs she’s been involved in. “Not everyone gets to “do what they love” so I count myself very blessed that I can do just that,” Ven Xhin said.
Ven Xhin doesn’t particularly fear turning 30 as she believes that she’s in a good place in her life right now. However, she does have a thought that in 5 years, when she’s approaching 35, or even when she’s 40, she’ll look at the successes of her friends and question her own choices. Noting this, in her thirties, she wants to become better at what she does.
“Maybe write a book and change the world… or an article that changes the world would be nice too.”
7. Jackson Lim
Jackson is in the Customer Care & Marketing line in the healthcare industry. The highlight of his twenties was graduating university, starting work, travelling and having the chance to meet different people from other countries.
Looking back at his twenties, the advice he would share with his 20-year-old self if he could, is to plan his future, study hard and be confident in life. “I’ll also tell my younger self that whatever I experience in life, I’ll be able to learn from it,” he said.
Jackson’s biggest fear on turning 30 is not being able to achieve his biggest dream in life, which is to become a pilot. “I wish I can achieve my dreams of being a pilot but I’m already 29 now and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to achieve it in my thirties,” Jackson said.
Also, in his thirties, he hopes to be able to find a partner and be in a relationship with someone who is trustworthy and easygoing.
8. Harmini Asokumar
Harmini is the founder and artrepreneur of Deeper than Fashion, a 7-year-old Malaysian jewellery brand which specialises in handmade dreamcatchers and crystal bracelets.
The highlight of her twenties was picking up several skills in caligraphy, water colour painting and macrame jewellery-making which in turn, led to her building self confidence.
“The biggest fear in turning 30 is having lived for 30 years and still feeling like I could’ve accomplished more. But with that being said, I’ve made peace with the idea that everyone grows in different paces, so yes, I’m already emotional preparing myself. Completely ready to take on the big 3-0!” Harmini shared.
In her thirties, Harmini hopes to tick at least 5 things from her bucket list and to finally do a solo travel. “I’m the type of person who likes familiarity so doing something like this on my own is a personal goal,” she said.
