'There is no right timing but your own timing': S'pore ITE graduate now pursuing degree at Columbia University

A student who went from the Normal (Technical) stream to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) before eventually enrolling at Columbia University has gone viral after a TikTok user shared his LinkedIn profile online.

LinkedIn post “doxxed”

In a LinkedIn post uploaded on Mar. 27, Jeremy Galang said he “got doxxed” after someone had posted his profile on TikTok, with the video later drawing more than 87,000 views.

He added that he only found out after a friend sent it to him.

“So someone made a TikTok on my LinkedIn profile and it went viral, 87,000 views later, I am kind of okay with it?” he said.

The TikTok highlighted Galang’s education route.

According to screenshots shown in the TikTok, Galang was an Aerospace Avionics student in ITE before pursuing an associate degree in economics and mathematics at Pitt Community College, where he also served as student body president.

His LinkedIn profile shows that he later enrolled in Columbia, where he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in economics.

Route would have taken 11 years

In a separate video posted on LinkedIn, Galang described his route as unconventional.

“I enlisted for two years in the Singapore navy, then two years of community college in North Carolina, and finally I’m in my second last semester at Columbia.”

According to him, that journey would normally take around 11 years if completed through a more conventional route.

Instead, he said he managed to do it in seven.

“The big lesson here is that there is no right timing but your own timing.”

He added that “the unconventional less travelled and unexplored paths often seem really scary and daunting”, but encouraged people to pursue ambitions even if it might seem difficult at first.

He also noted that he had completed no internships during his time at Columbia, saying the decision was intentional as he wanted to spend his summers “building cool stuff”, travelling, and pursuing “some crazy f*cking side quests”.

Galang ended his video on a lighter note, addressing viewers who might comment on the way he spoke.

“And to all of you Singaporeans who are gonna comment on my ang moh accent right — bro, it’s literally code switching la sial.”

Hope to current ITE students

The TikTok also drew reactions from viewers, including some who said his journey was inspiring and congratulated him on his unconventional route.

Top images via jtris/LinkedIn, Pitt Community College