Hi all! We hope the semester is going well for you. We are back with the next alumni feature! In this feature, we have the girl power of the alumni! They are Caryl Lim, Chin See Hwee, Grace Chew and Jasmine Chen.
Caryl graduated from the Nanyang Business School (NBS) specialising in marketing while Jasmine graduated from NBS specialising in Tourism and Hospitality Management. Currently, Caryl and Jasmine hold jobs in conference production and marketing communications respectively. Grace and See Hwee both graduated from NBS with Accounting degrees and went on to become auditors at the Big Four Accounting Firms.
Read on the find out more about what they think about work life, student life and, most importantly, their USP experience!
What made you choose your current job?
Caryl:
It was quite a struggle because I didn’t have much of a direction but I eventually chose conference production because with every new event, it’s a whole new industry you get to discover so you’re constantly learning and the job is never mundane. I get to do all sorts of things, from market positioning to event organisation to copywriting… I’d say I never expected such a job scope but as long as I’m learning and feel challenged, I feel that it’ll be worth it.
Jasmine:
One thing I looked for in my first job out of university was exposure. I wanted to be able to learn new things on the job, meet new people and basically, challenge myself. It was also important that I looked for a job in a field that I’m interested to pursue a career in. Thus, I found myself landing a job in marketing communications.
Grace
The nice people and the opportunity to learn so many things everyday! I interned at EY and was pretty impressed with how nice the people were and how willing they were to teach me, despite me just being an intern. I wanted to gain experience from different sectors or industries, so as to broaden my understanding and perspective of how accounting works in the real world. This exposure would also hopefully enable me to learn as much as I can, discover what I really like and consider what industry I should join when planning my career advancement. EY is a pretty big firm with clients over many industries, which can help me achieve that objective.
How have you benefitted from USP in terms of character and professional development? Are there any specific examples of activities that you were involved in USP and what did you gain from them?
Caryl:
The USP modules give you something very different from the normal curriculum – as much as critical thinking is very clichéd, it really helps you think about issues from many perspectives or at least gives you general knowledge on philosophers that you’d otherwise not learn about, education systems that we will never read on and political concepts that would not surface in our everyday lives.
Jasmine:
Being in USP has given me plenty of opportunities to further develop myself in preparation for when I step out into the workforce. One of the key takeaways would be the soft skills I learnt – interpersonal communication skills and leadership skills. Taking on a student facilitator role at the first USP Leadership Camp has taught me plenty, and I am glad that I’m able to apply what I’ve learnt at my workplace.
Grace:
I had the opportunity to participate in the International Summer Programme which enabled me to meet different people from different courses in NTU, as well as other students from USA and China. It was quite an interesting experience for me which enabled me to develop my communication skills in order to work effectively with people of different cultures. USP also enabled me to improve my writing skills and appreciate history and humanities (through Culture and Conflict and Fables), something which I never thought I would after leaving secondary school.
See Hwee:
I think employees really value you as a USP candidate. Of course having that in your resume is not enough, I think you must display intelligence and good character befitting of a USP student in your interview.
To you, a USP Alumnus is…
Caryl:
Hmmm… Resourceful, contemplative, wise, BUSY!
Jasmine:
A dynamic family with individuals that always seek self-improvement and good challenges.
Grace:
Resourceful, proactive, fun, hardworking, intellectual.
See Hwee:
An undaunted and versatile individual.
What would you have done differently if you could relive university life? Any words of advice for current students?
Caryl:
I think I’d definitely have gone on more USP trips! There were so many occasions for different reasons that gave us the chance to explore the arts, politics, or just the culture of another country.
My advice for current students: Don’t think so much when deciding and just go for it! Because once you start work, all these chances will never, ever come again.
Jasmine:
I would have taken part in more extra-curricular activities.
My advice for current students: It’s good to take on more initiatives to boost your portfolio and resume.
Grace:
I would have participated in more activities, gotten to know more people. I would have joined a USP subcomm and gotten to know more USP people.
My advice for current students: Have fun in uni, cherish the time that you have before you start work!
What other activities did you participate in university and what did you gain from it?
Caryl:
I participated in hall games (hockey), Welfare Services Club and the peer helping programme. The peer helping programme is a very good initiative that not many people know about. They serve to understand mental issues within the school community and as ‘peer helpers’, reaching out to people who might be facing difficulties in school. The workshops on how to deal with certain issues like suicide and others were very insightful.
Jasmine: I was in the Exco of the Tourism and Hospitality Management Club. I was also involved in Singapore Footprints, a free walking tour initiative for tourists. I definitely gained exposure, leadership opportunities and of course, great friends.
See Hwee: Going for exchange was the most valuable experience out of my university life. I became more outgoing and independent from it, and I would recommend everyone to go for it especially since we’re given the opportunity to.
What is one thing you miss most about being a student?
Jasmine:
I would say the school environment and friends I met in school.
See Hwee:
Freedom. Freedom is really valuable. You get to dictate your own time and schedule. You get to choose your own topic when doing projects. You get to choose your project mates. When you enter the working world, you’ll feel like your life is dictated by others especially since we’re only new hires in the company.
What is one thing you enjoy most about being a working adult?
Caryl:
I suppose weekends are slightly more free. If you’re in a job where work time is confined to the office, then after work hours will feel much better than school because there isn’t the burden of school work, projects… And perhaps earning an income is a bonus!
Jasmine:
The working world is really different from what we expected when we were still in school. One thing I enjoy most is the opportunity to pick up new experiences, to gain exposure.
See Hwee:
Things get more real. You are no longer dealing with theoretical or abstract ideas. You actually see how your work is going to impact in the actual world. In fact, one of my key clients is a listed company and I can witness the importance of my work.
We hope you have enjoyed this feature of the USP pioneer alumni! As the exam period is drawing near, all the best for your preparations and let’s conquer the exams together. Till next time!
