Acceptance of our way of experimental learning was on the rise. At the time, this approach was commonly known as homeschooling or learning without a school name. This posed a challenge for me when it came to enrolling in certain activities and courses that required a school name. Fortunately, I found a nearby learning facility called the Maker Base, which had just opened and hosted free classes on all things DIY. The staff were friendly and helpful, and I attended most of their classes. Through the Maker Base, I made friends with regular students studying teaching and computer science at the university across the street. This is where I was first introduced to C#, Unity game development, Arduino electronic control and 3D printing.

As time passed, I outgrew the beginner to intermediate classes and my Maker friends graduated from university. Meanwhile, I completed middle school and was in search of more professional courses. I learned that the Maker Base was a sub-branch of the Taichung Work Development Agency (WDA) as support for young people looking to start their own businesses. With this in mind, I applied for some of the WDA courses, designed for working people who wanted to acquire new skills to improve their job prospects.

To qualify for the courses, I needed to have at least six months of work insurance to prove that I was a member of the workforce. I found an internship at a company that designed and sold CNC lathes, where I spent six months learning to use Solidworks and SolidCam, among other software. During this period, I also took night classes at the WDA on vertex-oriented 3D modeling program "Autodesk 3Ds Max" and Creo-parametric CAD drawing.

Once the internship was over, I enrolled in an eight-month, all-day course covering graphic design, package design, web design, and press printing. By this point, the Maker Base had started to charge fees for courses, and I realized had left at just the right time. The design class was so enjoyable that I decided to take the next course, which would end up changing my life.

During this next course, I learned how to machine steel and brass using various machinery. It was challenging at first, but I eventually got the hang of it. I was too young to take the machining test, so I decided to take a CAD drawing test instead and acquired my technical license. I had also written several simple calculators to help make writing CNC G-code by hand easier. Once the course was finished, my main teacher asked if I was interested in competing in the Taiwan regional WorldSkills competition, which I accepted at once, despite being clueless to what it entailed. I began training in competitive machining under the "Polymechanics and Automation" skill category, excelling in my practice.

On the day of the competition, nerves got the better of me, and I could not finish in time. Furthermore, the judges ruled that any part not fully machined would not receive a mark. I was devastated, as my teachers were sure I would receive the highest marks out of the seven of us who were training together. Despite this setback, my teachers offered to train me in dealing with stressful situations and suggested switching to a more demanding skill: CNC Milling. This was a rare offer, as most competitors stick to the same skill until they master it. Although I was slow in calculating the mathematical parts of these new test projects, I was able to utilize the experience I had learned during the previous skill and develop the most efficient workflow in the central regionals, easily finishing the part in half the time of everyone else.

By the time of the next regional competition, my teacher had already been training me for international test projects and beyond. I made it to the nationals and my teacher then asked if I wanted to try a new skill: a two-person team competition where a software and hardware competitor must program an industrial robot and design its work area to maximize efficiency and create documentation for the system. This required all the skills I had learned in previous courses, from PowerPoint presentations to CAD drawing and data organization. My partner was a fellow competitor who had previously competed in an electrical-mechanical skill that was canceled that year and was perfect for the task.

After months of intense training and preparation, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. I was faced with a difficult decision as the nationals for CNC Milling and Robot Systems Integration skills coincided, as I had to cancel one of the skills. Despite having already mastered most of the CNC Milling skill, I made the reckless choice to compete in the new skill. Although it was uncertain what the competition would entail, we sought guidance from the experts at Century trading company and hoped for the best. Since this was a new skill category, we had no other practice material and had to design and machine any fixtures ourself. Our diligent preparation paid off as we outperformed our competitors who struggled to keep up with the rigorous demands of the competition.

Our success led us to represent our country at the international WorldSkills Special Edition 2022 for Robot Systems Integration held in Luxembourg. However, we faced unexpected challenges due to differences in European and Asian standards, which resulted in a lower score. Despite this setback, we impressed the judges with our strengths in areas that were highly valued in Asia, even though the maximum scores of these marks were too low to make much difference. We reasoned we would be near last place, but pushed on as usual. We persevered and were pleasantly surprised to be awarded second place, a remarkable achievement for our team, just behind Germany.

As always, the thrill is in the chase, not the capture. As Pierre de Coubertin says, “The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” I believe this is and should remain the core value of any competition. Everyone who takes part is obviously very skilled; he who wins keeps luck in the wrist and stress in the bag.

I would like to thank my main teacher of my machining course, my trainer for the PolyMechanics & Automation skill, CNC Machining skill, and Robot Systems Integration skill. These people are one and the same; he is my sherpa, the one who saw potential in a young seed, who pushed me when I tired and ached, carried me through in times of despair, and who supported me unconditionally throughout the past near four years at the precision machinery shop of the Taichung WDA. I have the utmost respect for him.