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It has often been repeated that what is taught in school is never really used in the workplace. Well, I certainly hope that it is true because I am beginning to doubt how my unnaturally long lab reports will ever help me in my life.
For everyone who hasn't decided where your passion lies or if your passion is a far cry from your major, there are real life examples of graduates who have not let the scope of their degree limit their scope in life.
The fairy tale of the famous philosophy majors of NUS who, well, got married and started the immensely successful Thai Express - possibly never having to write another essay on Immanuel Kant again, piqued our curiosity about how many other such stories could be floating out there, unheard.
HOOKED brings you an interview with two graduates that run a board-games café (all in the rage now!). We hope that their story will provide an inspiration for all who seek the same path.
Decoder's Café is a themed board game café, located at Balmoral Plaza, and caters to a largely young, bustling, student crowd. The owners and masterminds of the establishment are Garret Yap who graduated in 2006 from NUS School of Computing with honours in Computer Science, and Yappy Yap, who graduated in 1997 from NTU with honours in Civil and Structural Engineering.
Curious about what it is like running a café seemingly unrelated to their degrees, we talk to Garret (hereby DC, for Decoder's Café) more:
HOOKED: What inspired the idea of a board games cafe?
DC: Yappy has been playing RISK since his JC days and has always been a great fan of it. 2 years ago, he was introduced into the world of designer board games by his colleagues and soon he fell in love with board games. A year ago, through sheer coincidence, a mini board games café was set up in the school that Yappy was teaching then, i.e. Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). Although the scale of operation was small, everyone who visited had great deal of fun at the games. We felt that board games can bring hours of fun to many people, hence the setting up of a board games café.
HOOKED: It's great that you guys managed to merge work with interest! Was it a difficult decision to venture into a business that is seemingly unrelated to the degrees you both graduated with?
DC: I wouldn't say it's a difficult decision, but rather a difficult execution. We have to learn everything ourselves and execute them. It's very tough to start from scratch. However, there is no degree in Board Games anyway, right?
HOOKED: Right. Did you face any negative responses to your decision to start up Decoder's Café?
DC: Most of our friends and relatives are supportive of our cafe. We didn't face any  negative responses against our decision and we are glad to have support from the people around us.
HOOKED: That's great to know. Are there any regrets about not putting your degrees into direct, 'practical' use?
DC: I am currently teaching as a part time lecturer in Republic Polytechnic, thus I am still using my degree. The technology and knowledge that I acquired from NUS is very useful to my career and business venture. De Coder's Café website is partly designed and maintained by me. Without the knowledge I acquired from NUS, I wouldn't have been able to achieve that.
HOOKED: Do you have any advice for soon-to-be graduates of NUS (or any school, for that matter) who wish to start up their own businesses or try something outside of the area of studies they have been in?
DC: I think choosing correct partners are very important. Starting a new business is tough; you will need good partners to support you in times of need. If anyone is thinking of starting a board game café, we are more than willing to share our experience and assist them!
HOOKED: What do you think is the best thing about being the owners of a hip boardgames cafe popular with the students from schools nearby (RGS, SIM, SCGS, ACS(B), SJI, CJC etc)?
DC: We get to play board games! Most of all, we like to interact with students. That's the reason why both of us are/were in the education industry. Our job satisfaction comes from the happy faces of the students/customers. At times, we get very tired. However, seeing the happy faces from the students keep us moving forward.
HOOKED: One last question! How is Decoder's Café different from the all the other boardgame cafés around town?
DC: We are very student-focused. We do not charge people for playing board games and for the usage of wireless Internet at our café. The money students spend here is solely for food and beverages since the board games and Internet are free of charge (Also, all students and NSFs get free membership with 10% discount). We are rather generous in our discounts for students because we want to promote board games as an alternative to cyber gaming and other forms of entertainment.
We hope we have shed some light on anyone who has thought "God! Why am I studying all this? I don't get it!" (particularly during the massive mugging period). We hope we got you thinking on your dreams for the future. Our advice: it's better to do something you love since it has obviously given these graduates satisfaction like no other. Hooked
For more information about Decoder's Café:
Address: 271, Bukit Timah Road, #B1-04, Balmoral Plaza, Singapore 259708
Phone: 6235 2160
Email:
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Website: http://www.decoderscafe.com/
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Feedback on Cafe
Written by Guest on 2008-04-14 23:29:19
 I have been to the cafe, i find that the cafe's decoration is very different from the building outlook therefore i feel it is very well-done. Am proud of our NUSmates. | Agree
Written by Guest on 2008-04-14 23:48:43
Yup  I agree, the people there are friendly and helpful too. I was quite dumb in learning boardgame and they are very patient with me. |
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