The Path I Didn't Plan
By Yicheng Guo, AI Engineer with 10+ years navigating technology’s biggest transformations.
Contents
The Speech That Won Best Speaker
I have been attending Toastmasters International for a while now, working to improve my public speaking confidence. Recently, I was honored to receive the best speaker award from our last meeting.
While there are elements of the presentation I can’t show in written format—the pauses, the gestures, the eye contact—but here it is my script nonetheless. This is the true story of how I came to become who I am today.
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What I do today would terrify my 10-year-old self. Let me explain.
I’m an AI engineer. Today, most people get what that means. But 20 years ago, when the internet was barely around, nobody would’ve believed machines could think, learn, or replace human tasks.
So if you had asked 10-year-old me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” — never in a million years would he have said “I’ll work in AI.” That road didn’t even exist on the map.
I first touched a computer in Year 7—and hated it. Sitting for hours staring at a screen? No way. It felt like a cage. I swore I’d never do that for a living.
But my life took a detour.
After graduation, I got an IT job. “Wait—what about hating computers?” you ask. Well, it turns out there’s no escape. Whether you’re a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer, the computer is always in the room.
I needed to survive, so I took the job. And along the way, I found my hidden sparks.
I experienced the technology waves: the internet, mobile phones, cloud—and now AI. Each changed everyday life. The deeper I went, the more fascinating it became. Today, I dive head-first into AI, not because I have to, but because I truly believe it will transform the world again. I can’t stand on the shore and watch; I want to ride the wave.
So my journey went from rejecting computers, to accepting them, to being inspired by them. A path my younger self could never have imagined, but one I’m grateful for.
Here’s the truth:
If nothing in life works out as you planned, you feel the world is working against you.
If everything goes exactly as planned, you see straight through to the end of life—and you get bored.
The river of life flows between those two banks. Sometimes you get what you wish for, sometimes you don’t. And that is what makes the journey worth traveling.
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The Lesson: Embrace the Detour
I reflected on the same journey during my talk with students at Caufield Grammar School. They’re growing up in a world where technology moves faster than ever. Many of the jobs they’ll have one day don’t even exist yet. How do you plan for a future like that?
The real insight isn’t just about career pivots. It’s about how the dots connect in ways you can’t predict.
Three Takeaways from 10 Years in Tech
1. Proximity breeds passion
When I took my first IT job, it wasn’t out of love. It was out of necessity. But being close to something changes you. Proximity turned into curiosity, and curiosity turned into passion. You don’t have to start with love. Sometimes you have to start first, and let love catch up.
2. Detours aren’t delays
We grow up believing there’s a straight line from where we are to where we want to be. But my path from computer-hater to AI engineer wasn’t a detour. It was the road itself. Every twist, every setback, was part of getting here.
3. The magic lives in the middle
Failure hurts. Success feels safe. But the real magic happens somewhere between those two—when you’re uncertain, hopeful, and still moving forward. That’s where growth lives.
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Why This Matters for Your Journey
Maybe you’re switching careers. Maybe you’re learning something completely new. Maybe you’re just standing at the edge of uncertainty, wondering if you’re ready.
Here’s what I’ve learned: the path that scares you is often the one that transforms you.
If my 10-year-old self could see me now, he’d be shocked. But I wouldn’t change a thing. The plan didn’t work out. The detour did.
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Connect: Find me on LinkedIn where I continue learning to share stories that matter.
Tags: #personal-growth #career-journey #toastmasters #AI #unexpected-paths
Last updated: November 2025
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