As university students, we probably have an idea of which industry we would want to work in after we graduate. But how much do we really know about those industries? How true are the myths and stereotypes we heard about them?
In this post, we have listed seven industries for you to know more about! We got the mentors from the peer mentorship programme in Prince George’s Park Residences (PGPR) to debunk the myths about their respective industries, ranging from education to food and nutrition science. Read on and see if the stereotypes match the mentors’ insights about their industry!
- Food & Nutrition Science
Myth: It’s all about cooking / you need to be good in cooking.
Reality: Food and nutrition industry is actually not about cooking. There’s a lot of science involved from chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, etc. There is also a variety of job types such as product developer, process engineer, nutrition scientist, regulatory affairs, and sensory scientist. It is fun to work in the food industry and to see the product you developed eventually available in supermarkets!
Mentor: Mia Isabella
source: http://peninsulaboxing.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/SportsNutritionScience.png
- Manufacturing
Myth: Boring factory work that is repetitive.
Reality: Manufacturing line can be exciting too. It involves many aspects – process monitoring, ensuring process robustness, process improvement projects, complex investigations and troubleshooting. You have a chance to work with cross functional teams during projects and investigations. Moreover, you also get to be up close and personal with your process equipment via Go-see [1]and gain a deeper understanding of how the systems work to produce the product that you make.
Mentor: Joy Thiong Le Phing
- Education
Myth: Teachers have “no life”; leave can only be taken during certain periods in the year, and work is so stressful that you lose your passion.
Reality: Teachers teach to inspire and they inspire others to teach. It is the passion that keeps one going in this industry. We need to see value in what we do – life transformation! We do not just teach a subject, but life! We may feel the stress during peak period but there is sufficient time to rest too. When we rest, we really rest. It is really about how we manage our time.The sense of satisfaction that comes from the lives you can impact – be it fellow educators, parents or students, is something that you cannot attain with money.
Mentor: Lim Shi Ying (Shynn)
source: https://www.careersingovernment.com/tools/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/education.jpg
- Shipping
Myth: Must love the sea.
Reality: Loving the sea helps a little, but the marine/shipping industry in Singapore offers much more than that! We have the ship and rig builders and repair yards, various equipment manufacturers, dealers, fabricators, ship brokers, surveyors and inspectors, consultancy firms, ship management companies, bunker companies etc. Perhaps it is more important for one in this industry to love challenges at work, to work round the clock and to love to get their hands dirty.
Mentor: Ken Chin
- Land Transport Authority (LTA)
Myth: All they do is deal with public complaints regarding breakdowns.
Reality: LTA handles all land transport matters in Singapore, including construction of road and rail infrastructure as well as regulating the operators and maintenance of transport assets (buses, rolling stocks, etc). The staffs in LTA, especially those who are involved in the construction process, are exposed to multi-disciplinary aspects of the project. For instance, you need to know how to evaluate and select the tenderers, how to design, how to coordinate different elements (Civil Engineering, Architecture, Mechanical and Electrical services) and synergize altogether to ensure the project, i.e. MRT project, can be completed safely, on time, and within budget.
Mentor: Vincent Zillianstetra
- Port Automation & Equipment
Myth: Technical and repetitive, not fulfilling.
Reality: Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) is actually one of the top performing ports in the world. Being so, it is often at the cutting edge of technology in terms of equipment and automation methods. Hence, there will be constant opportunities to learn and explore new things. Besides, for those who like to travel, you may get plenty of opportunities to travel regionally to work in the different ports around the region. Even remote places that normally tourists won’t go! Skills which are usually required in Port Automation are (but not limited to) mechanical, electrical, or planning/logistics skills. Hence, working in such environment will put engineering skills to good use and you will learn to work with different disciplines.
Mentor: Yee Wei Liang
source: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/sites/default/files/styles/large_popup/public/image/2015/07/21/psasg217.jpg?itok=h6mm2gNR
- NUS Department of Pharmacy
Myth: Monotonous and no clear career path.
Reality: Pharmacy is never monotonous. In fact, there are many things to learn in pharmacy school. Pharmacy students in NUS have exposure in different areas such as research, clinical practice, public health, health promotion, pharmacoeconomics, quality assurance and pharmaceutical developments. During pharmacy training-preceptorship program, each student is coached by a mentor who is also a senior pharmacist with great experience to guide and impart knowledge to the young pharmacist. In this case, students not only can choose the industries that they are interested in, they also be able learn quickly and excel in their career.
Mentor: Siew Yin Yin
We hope this post gives you a better understanding about the industries! Knowing what you’re getting yourself into will surely better prepare you for whatever that lies ahead.
We’d also like to thank the mentors for giving their valuable inputs and wish them the best for their careers! 🙂
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genchi_Genbutsu
