{"id":16850,"date":"2025-09-03T05:08:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T05:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/cfpr\/?page_id=16850"},"modified":"2025-10-01T08:29:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T08:29:39","slug":"hoc9","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/cfpr\/humans-of-cfpr\/hoc9\/","title":{"rendered":"HumansofCFPRblog#9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<p><strong><em>#HumansofCFPR &#8211; Blog 9<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\t<h2>&#8220;Learning to be an academic through unexpected turns&#8221;<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/cfpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/10\/Photo-1.jpg\" alt=\"Photo 1\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"960\" width=\"1280\" title=\"Photo 1\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/cfpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/17\/2025\/10\/Photo-4.jpg\" alt=\"Photo 4\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"1536\" width=\"2048\" title=\"Photo 4\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\"  \/>\n\t<p>| Published on 13 July 2025<\/p>\n\t<p>My aspiration for academia began during my undergraduate years at Korea University in South Korea. In the early years, I wasn&#8217;t particularly focused on academics. Like many students in East Asia, I had studied intensively up to the point of university admission, after which I shifted my attention to extracurricular activities. My GPA at that time reflected this lack of academic focus.<\/p>\n<p>A turning point came when I took a course in organizational theory. His use of the Socratic method, posing thoughtful questions and genuinely engaging with student responses, shifted my perspective. Compared to the more lecture-driven teaching I was used to, his approach felt both challenging and energizing. That class sparked my initial interest in academic inquiry and made me appreciate the impact of good teaching-something I now strive to carry forward in my own classes.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, my academic path has taken directions I hadn&#8217;t anticipated. I initially gravitated toward qualitative research but now work primarily with quantitative methods. I never imagined pursuing a PhD in Singapore or writing professionally in English. These unexpected turns have broadened my perspective and shaped how I approach my work.<\/p>\n<p>Like many, I&#8217;ve had moments of uncertainty, especially moving through my studies without any gap years, and navigating a field that, while slow-moving in some ways, is still shaped by rapid global shifts. But in those moments, I&#8217;ve been fortunate to have mentors and colleagues who offered support and guidance. I still fondly remember a coffee chat with Professor Puk as I approached graduation. That conversation introduced me to the work of CFPR and sparked my interest, eventually guiding me toward the opportunity to join Professor Puk&#8217;s team. Witnessing CFPR&#8217;s 8th anniversary in 2022, along with the founding of the Population Association of Singapore, I came to appreciate that academia can also foster a sense of community that is both familial and collegial. My aspirations have continued to grow alongside CFPR&#8217;s vision and work, supported by the meaningful connections accumulated within this vibrant academic network.<\/p>\n<p>Now based in Hong Kong, I see academic life less as a destination and more as an ongoing process. I once joked with a colleague that our work revolves around &#8220;supervision, revision, and vision,&#8221; a continuous cycle of learning from feedback, guiding students, and refining long-term goals. Whenever I find myself overly focused on short-term outcomes, I will remind myself of the importance of maintaining this balance and not losing any.<\/p>\n<p>And of course, what&#8217;s also needed along the way is a good, not necessarily long, but meaningful break. Our eyes get tired from constantly staring at screens, and for me, spending time in nature is a refreshing escape. I enjoy hiking, trekking, and walking in the park. I look back on my years in Singapore with appreciation, especially for the abundant greenery that I could see from my office at CFPR. The lush green spaces and the warmth of the people made those years especially meaningful, and I still consider Singapore a second home.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>-Dr. Dahye Kim, Assistant Professor, Sociology at Hong Kong Baptist University, Former CFPR Postdoctoral Fellow, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/humansofcfpr\">#HumansofCFPR<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>#HumansofCFPR &#8211; Blog 9 &#8220;Learning to be an academic through unexpected turns&#8221; | Published on 13 July 2025 My aspiration for academia began during my undergraduate years at Korea University in South Korea. In the early years, I wasn&#8217;t particularly focused on academics. Like many students in East Asia, I had studied intensively up to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":341,"featured_media":0,"parent":14423,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16850","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>HumansofCFPRblog#9 - Centre for Family and Population Research<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/cfpr\/humans-of-cfpr\/hoc9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HumansofCFPRblog#9 - Centre for Family and Population Research\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"#HumansofCFPR &#8211; Blog 9 &#8220;Learning to be an academic through unexpected turns&#8221; | Published on 13 July 2025 My aspiration for academia began during my undergraduate years at Korea University in South Korea. 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