Cliche as the saying goes “to teach is to touch a life” I would concur with this view even though I don’t put on my teaching hat when it comes to being on LinkedIn. Most of the time, I often admired Linkedin top voices and hang around their livestreaming and LinkedIn stories thinking they would have more of an influence than my small circle of LinkedIn friends. Despite feeling that I can’t make an influence as I do not have a giant following, I still managed to use the cliche term “touch a life” or influence someone here and would like to recount my personal experience.
I was pleasantly surprise when a LinkedIn contact whom I started conversing with last year came back recently to ask for my opinion regarding making serious academic choices on which door will open or close. I am awed by how the young person was full of clarity and certainly regarding the choices he had to make and even entrusted me with an electronic letter of offer from an academic institution knowing it will stay in my hard disk.
Not working in Academia, I was still glad to be able to help the person to sort out his train of thoughts over whether to accept the academic offer knowing the terms and conditions clearly. I let him sort out his thought processes by discussing whether to wait for another offer and what are the next steps to take as it involves moving overseas or staying in the country in this current volatile climate.
I thought I would have given more sound advice on whether to pursue a course of action over another if I knew more about NUS Masters programme or the overseas university. However, I decided to give my opinion as a fellow peer knowing that I play a role in influencing his decision of study and subsequently career path ahead during this VUCA times.
I hope this encourages those who are in the position to influence someone to know that it takes courage to influence and speak into the life of others. Hopefully, neither being a Linkedin top voice nor having a PHD will not diminish our confidence in making a difference to the lives of others .
I attended orientation with NTUC Learning Hub and will be excited to know my course modules for Virtual Events and Production. I am happy to start my first four days learning all about community management from 8 March as I just received my courseware to start my online virtual learning.
Dual Monitors
Dual Monitors
During orientation for the Virtual Events and Production Course, I found out that we will need to have dual monitors to keep up with training. After dusting off an old PC monitor, I managed to set up dual monitors and it works well with the laptop connecting the PC monitor together.
Hopefully, I will be able to follow through lesson with Zoom on the laptop and referring to lesson notes and software on the other other monitor. So glad to set it up in one day as technology works like magic to me !
Since my youth I have a dream of being a teacher and had been in this industry for a decade or so. I weaved in an out of jobs suited for my idealistic self post university and been in positions to effect real changes to the community from serving the poorest to being there for the medically ill. Still, I felt that my calling is to be a teacher for a long period of time and thought that is the best job out there.
In the midst of the pandemic, I felt that I have been staying in my comfort zone for a long season where I felt no growth and have existential questions like do I see myself being a teacher for another few decades or so. I often question if I should even think of changing careers when I had the most packed schedule with good rates due to quality clients coming in 2021.
Nevertheless, I felt that precisely because I was doing well on my own as a freelancer I should prepare for the inevitable switch in season instead of waiting for a downturn. 2021 had been the year I thought I would act on finding dedicated and passionate career counselors during this never before pandemic in a tough labour climate. Never before had I felt that lost about what I want to do if I don’t build my identity on being a teacher.
It is a dark hole where I sink further and further into fearing that I will make wrong choices as I had a past of committing to wrong course of study and work. Amidst the roller coaster ride, I felt that I have been blessed with three career counselors from the Workforce Singapore who dared to take on a very challenging counselee to which I am glad to actively participate in a peer support programme in December to ride out the rollercoaster emotions of finding clarity about what I want to pursue.
I was fortunate to meet one who reciprocated my interest by going through a very professional platform like understanding personality fit to giving us the hard task of figuring out what are the in demand skills of the industry. I believe that I even have to put in more work in helping myself gain clarity by going for the tough homework. This where I diligently followed up with a comprehensive industry analysis by predicting what job roles are available for the next three to five years. This is by far the most difficult homework as I have to pore through data after data from Ministry of Manpower to Workforce Singapore’s skills mapping section.
Alongside going for career counselling, I felt that I wanted to go back to school and signed up for 6 courses with NTUC Learning Hub in the last quarter of last year. November 2021 was the month that I felt had been different from the past two years. I dared to dream of doing something else and had zero salary as I was focused on career redirection.
I am glad to end the season with strong affirmation from encouraging course mates and trainer. With that I thought I closed a chapter of training as I used up all my skillsfuture credit. I was glad November 2021 is different as I thoroughly enjoyed myself and wanted the training sessions to actually continue (given more skills future credit)
For three months thereafter, NTUC had been giving course previews for more training programmes. I had been attending a few course previews where they have comprehensive briefing for the 6 months of structured training and subsistence allowance given for all trainees. I did not dare to hastily apply for any programmes as I thought it might be too good to be true. This is because you get “paid” to study and I wanted to be very certain that the course is cut out for me.
Attending a webinar
Still, I continued to sign up for course previews after previews and have a better understanding of the nature of the programmes and scrutinize all the terms and conditions every time they have the session. Through it all, I felt that the training school is putting workers welfare at heart precisely because of the pandemic. Furthermore, with the labour climate being volatile I could see that they are giving all the financial and skills support they can to workers who want to “help” themselves upskill for 6 months.
I felt that I should make the decision to pursue something that will really get me excited and want to wake with passion again everyday instead of settling for the most pragmatic course. With that, I had to turn down a course in digital health and safety as that did not get me excited. I wanted to wait to choose something that I could pursue due to interest and person fit.
Finally, I attended a session closer to what I thought was my aligned to my idealistic self. What got me at the edge of my seat was the course called “Virtual events and production”. The course is so cool and cutting edge and it ignited my interest. When the showed the preview of the training studio with augmented reality and virtual reality I just knew that it was “the one”. That course just felt like the exact fit I was searching for. What got me to take action was that it was having it’s last batch of intake and its slated to be running on the 8th of March.
I was contacted by a consultant a few days after I applied and would have to go for an interview before being enrolled in the course. I decided to get back to NTUC learning hub with an interview scheduled last Thursday as this was the first choice and the one and only programme that I will consider for the next six months. I was glad that I had events experience managing community programmes in the past and conveyed that to the interviewers.
It was good news to finally confirm my training place where they put me on waiting list after receiving an email on Friday. Two days of waiting later, they finally confirmed the last spot. It was a Sunday when I heard a confirmation that I was on the programme and need to register immediately. I was excited to be living again as I was looking forward to pivoting to something new. This is unprecedented as I wanted to take a step into the unknown which will shake up my routines that I have been so used to for the last few years.
I felt that they had good mix of learning hybrid event management with new technologies on top of people skills. That will be an all inclusive course to strengthen my interest in helping people through knowledge of technical skills. This is something that I can understand and see the relevance of due to my previous work in the area of events.
Lastly, to bring a closure I would like to recount my Linkedin post on 27 February to which I have unprecedented number of visitors appearing on my posts. Never before did I have such support and encouragement when I have to make the transitions.
I have great news to share. I am removing my Linkedin profile “open to work” because I found a place I love after orientation. I didn’t know that I could like a work environment so much and calling a few people potential colleagues as I felt that my presence was welcomed there. This is after taking a step of faith by texting “I am happy about this arrangement” to a CEO and decided to show up for orientation. Now I am contemplating changing my self-employment freelance status to worker of an education institute.
I am thinking of updating my profile picture only as I would like to keep the company’s name confidential. This is because I am in the midst of sorting out my arrangements with my school as I may not want to put my decision to further my studies on hold. I have been selected to be on the waiting list for the programme to study. I am immensely grateful to those who walked with me on this journey especially the one who connected me with the job opportunity. I am thankful to those who have met me this season who have to put up with my bundle of nerves recounting the difficult decision making processes.
I am also sorry to not select certain outstanding educational institutes who have approached me on my Linkedin. When you have selected me and made an effort to invite me to interviews I really appreciate the effort whether Human resources or Centre directors. I have immense respect for the patience and dedication shown in arranging the interview sessions and I am thoroughly impressed by the meticulous effort made to sieve out my profile.
With 2022 being a tiger year I believe that there are good traits of the tiger I can emulate as I am actually a tiger year kid. However, I don’t yet possess the qualities of the tiger like courage, stealth and agility. More often I am timid and fearful like a mouse and stay in the comfort zone for as long as I can fearful of getting out there. Taking a few courses from adopting the agile mindset to the agile marketing enables me to identify these as weaknesses that I have. I do wish I could possess the agile mindset in the volatile and uncertain terrain I faced in the jungle.
I think being like a tiger takes a lot of deliberate steps to get out of negative thinking where my worries are somehow unfounded or even unreal. With the covid season bringing constant changes to dining in, my most cherished moment after the pandemic was dining in at Changi Airport in tiger wear.
Tiger dress at Changi AirportTiger year wishes
Tiger year wishes
My wish for the new year will be to have the courage to dine in with more people and see real life transformation in my new ventures. For starters my wish is to have the courage to write in to a newspaper with the help of a contact who had assiduously compiled all the list of contacts for the various newspaper who accepted his writing. He had written for The Business Times and a few ASEAN newspapers. It is a dream come true to meet the person in real life to know what it is like in the jungle of writing and how he persevered like a tiger with a laser sharp focus to become an accomplished writer for so many newspapers. I am glad to know the human struggles when one faces failure and yet still has the courage to move forward with boldness and stealth.
Writing is like a mala hotpot
I believe that the art and science of writing is like a mala hotpot where it has to be at the right flavour and spicy in order for it to be interesting. With that, I do receive a few compliments regarding my current blog by LinkedIn contacts. Glad to know that my content is interesting and well written to CEO’s. Another in the field of business found this blog interesting and that it will be a good adventure to embark on. Furthermore, I am glad to receive support from industries like information technology who holds writers in high regard and wish that I would be publishing a book soon.
With that I hope to get the right mix of flavours where I think writing is like eating a good mala hotpot. With that I wish everyone a happy tiger year with new adventures in the jungles of life.
Orangey and I chilling out as a bear is still lovely and cuddly
At the start of the year, I felt that it was time to meet up with a few virtual contacts from Linkedin that I have not met in real life. Somehow, I became like a 94 year old. I ended up telling all 3 of the new friends the same stories of how the volunteers I used to work with helped to declutter and convinced a 94 year old to throw decades of things out just to keep the bugs out. Even though I felt that I should dwell on my new dream I somehow went into many long grandmother stories about my old jobs and ended up with the same thread of how I got bitten by dust mites. It was still great that all of them are great listeners and commented that the exclusive untold of stories of my old jobs being insightful or provided them more understanding about social service or teaching.
If I can use the ABCD to sum up the meeting up with my Linkedin contacts in January went.
Arranging – I ended up arranging almost every item in the room and vacuuming every other day due to being attacked by dust mites.
Believing – I wanted to start the new season with confidence again as I tend to be my harshest critic. When I met all 3 contacts, they all sing the same tune that I will have to believe in myself again especially in the area of pursuing new dreams.
Cartharsis – The most memorable encounter is at a restaurant where it talking about the past just feels like cartharsis. I felt that a contact who worked in a pragmatic occupation in the finance sector could have made a really good counsellor or psychotherapist. I tried to convince the person to pick up counselling as he seemed to be a natural at inducing catharsis when he said you look like you wanna cry already.
Decluttering – Decluttering helps restart a new life as I felt that I could not bring in additional blessing in my life with a cupboard chocked full of clothes and shelf with yellowing books that I have not read in a decade.
I decided to start the year sorting out my thoughts and clearing my storage. I felt that I was particularly drawn to something I wrote more than a decade back. I felt that it was a really wise and accurate picture when I wrote a journal entry for MOE when my internship journey ended. This was the first time I think I pondered what it means to be a teacher as a vocation. Even though I have been in education for many years I actually felt that I could still felt the curiosity and wonder of a really awesome kid who wrote so eloquently about this profession at 22 years old. I am awed at how my old self could write so enthusiastically and it really impressed my future self. I didn’t expect a decade later that I would get “encouraged” by my 22 year old self who hasn’t experienced the real hardship of being a teacher yet. I do get so encouraged by my old journal notes and would like to share it with any longsuffering teacher.
I see the multiple roles of teachers from being disciplinarian, counsellor, content knowledge transmitter, mini-celebrity/entertainer, baby-sitter and co-worker, administrator, leader and consumer too. Therefore, if I ever have the heart to be a teacher, I am assured that it takes something from the inside which is the love for people, for societal change, for shaping morality of students. However, I do recognize the limitations of such lofty ideals where we have a limit to how we can influence students. There are often other factors like family and peer group and the mass media. As a permanent teacher it is necessary to distant ourselves from students because it is never healthy to let them into our personal life when we need to maintain professional image. Other limitations would be the breakdown of the family sometimes when students carry their baggage to school whether in violent burst of anger or just general frustration with life as such.
Zax is proactive and takes the initiative to get things moving. Being highly passionate in providing career counselling he has a positive psychology approach towards solving problems. First, he actively listened to my intention to pivot to a new field. He is able to come up with sound strategies to gear me up to move into the realm of positive psychology by adopting an experimental mindset. In my arduous quest to find an ideal role fit, he possessed the ability to transform a negative unadventurous person into one who confronts and challenges one’s fears to take the path into the unknown. Along the way he had been supportive in my desire to move into new ventures. With a mindset shift I am able to find the courage to get out of my comfort zone with his emphasis on the need to experiment.
Second, when I managed to get out of my comfort zone he provided much needed counsel to get unstuck by extending strong support to crystallize an action plan and take steps to move forward. He is able to gather the momentum to ensure that I keep to my values of consistency and commitment in being an avid blog writer and engaging my social media audience.
Thirdly, being a shrewd consultant he is able marshal the right resources to provide credible follow up in terms of training. He found the best service providers in the area of business like recommending the NTUC training hub. This comes at a time period when they have excellent deals and customer service. Hence, I benefitted immensely from his consultation as he dealt well with my pain point. Transforming my problem into an opportunity where I am able to leverage on multiple training providers who are perfect in my eyes as I found the right environment to experiment at zero risk.
Lastly, he is able to strengthen my foundation with his positivity by boosting my confidence to extend my network. Not only on LinkedIn but in my business classes with course mates whom I collaborated well with. His passion for going for training as a role model has influenced me to understand the essential survival skills needed for this season. I can glean more in depth knowledge of his belief in agility, innovation and digitalization through the training. This is where my trainers had equipped workers with essential skills to pivot and progress towards understanding how things work in the new economy.
Overall, Zax’s intelligent approach of delving into the realm of positive psychology will benefit many cynics and skeptics during a pandemic for some time to come.
To run a successful business , you will need to come up with a plan. To plan well, you will need to know these 9 step process from business canvas. A canvas is like a drawing board where you will need to draw a beautiful plan in order to reach a desired outcome. It will be good to get to know the 9 step process from the first step to the ninth step. You can get to know the different questions with each step and probe deeper to find an answer for what success means for your business ultimately.
According to an NTUC Learning Hub survey, digital marketing grew in importance as the top digital skill needed for business viability in the post-pandemic era. Ranked number one, it is voted by half of employers in 2021 versus 44% of them in 2020. Below is a table by NTUC of the top ten skills that are desired by employers. The second digital skills desired by employers will be data analysis at 36% followed by project management at 35%.
Having taken digital marketing by NTUC, I have written the 5 advantages of digital marketing in my previous blog post here.
My status as a special guest for design thinking course
I attended a two day intensive course with NTUC and it happened that I was the only “special guest” who was not from the same bank. Nevertheless, I felt that I was warmly welcomed. I had the privilege to contribute a real world problem that I faced for the design thinking assignment. I sensed that the bankers genuinely wanted to know from an external party point of view, what problem I faced with my personal experience with banking. When I joined the discussion group, I was met with enthusiasm and encouragement to speak up from the warm and cordial members of UOB bank.
Engaging group activity
As a group we have to define a problem statement and then evaluate the best idea to provide the most viable and feasible solution. I am amazed with the group’s creativity in making the best use of the design training group breakout session to collaborate with an “external stakeholder” to solve this problem.
Problem statement to mock up
After coming up with the problem statement we have to evaluate the best idea using an evaluation checklist. This is where we have to rank the the different factors such as intercom, facial recognition or bank branch. This is followed by coming up with a customer journey map of the story board. Finally, our mockup using the service delivery flowchart had been crafted in a really flawless manner. As they were so keen to practice the mock up, I gave my support for coming up with a standardized operation procedure. The final mock up when presented was simple yet elegant. I thought of using this was an excellent mock up since this formal documented flowchart can be transferred to their own department’s immediate utilization.
After the two days of intense session, I believe that our lives had been enriched. I am glad to have contribute to the improvement in their department’s work as I can see their teamwork and collaboration skills had been strengthened. I am hopeful that they will become more empathetic in how they will resolve the customer service issues at the bank.
I was rather participative as I questioned the members a few times regarding their decision to go with four stories instead of five for example. I am also glad to have clarified what they think the cost of implementing the facial recognition system is since it is a million dollar budget. I am glad that behind all the new technologies and frontiers in thinking, the human touch of empathy has been the preferred course of action for the bankers. Overall, they managed to come up with quite a logical and coherent presentation.
Concluding well with Design Thinking
All in all, the instructor had been supportive of taking questions in a safe environment as we are all simulating the problems faced at the bank. I am glad they all took in their good spirits as my inquisitive and curious nature went down well with them. I even called for a last minute “rehearsal” so we can anticipate the questions from the “stakeholder”. True to the purpose of the activity, they anticipated more questions and attempt to leave no stones unturned. I could see that my participation has enabled them to “practice” their pitching skills to their “stakeholders” well and stand them in good stead for their next department’s implementation of design thinking.
Coming up with a problem definition with UOB bankEvaluation checklistCustomer Journey Map – Story boardSecond day Group Presentation with Mock up using Flow chart
