Transforming Fine Arts Skills Into Digital Virtuosity

Art has always been Yeo Qing Cong’s first love. As a young boy, he had dreamt of being a painter and had looked forward to selling his works of art after graduating from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.

The necessities of survival however, brought him to the gym as a personal trainer, the classroom as a children’s art teacher and even to the casino as a dealer – until he stumbled upon the WSQ Diploma in Animation from the 3dsense Media School.

Leading the Way in Developing Creative Talent

Samuel Seow likes to joke that he was born with arts in his blood. In his youth, he always dreamt of a career in the arts. While at Victoria Junior College, he took Theatre Studies and Drama in his ‘A’ Levels. But when a legal career beckoned, he decided to merge his passion with his profession.

As a lawyer specialising in intellectual property law, general commercial and corporate law, Samuel is well-recognised in the entertainment, arts and media sectors. He represents a wide range of individuals and businesses in the film, television, music, theatre, media and related industries, both in Singapore and in the region.

“For many of my clients, they would generally not enter into written agreements with anyone, whether a member of the cast and crew, or a service provider,” Samuel shared.

Carving a Niche as an Entrepreneur

Leslie has always had the knack of sniffing out new business opportunities.

From being a business manager in a hard disc company, he is now the boss of Royal Bussan Singapore Pte Ltd, a medical device company. He actively looks for medical projects and brings in medical equipment that will benefit the medical community in Singapore.

What made him switch industries? What brought about this leap in his career?

Career Coaching @ CaliberLink

At 48, KW Lee has had an extensive career and bags of experience in the banking and finance industry. He never thought he needed additional training or help in his career until he came across CaliberLink.

He says: “I first came across CaliberLink in March during its road show at Raffles Place where it was holding its official opening for its Bras Basah office for Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs). I had heard from my friend that it provided services such as career coaching and offered courses such as image workshop and resume workshop, which were excellent for job seekers preparing for interviews or a switch in career.”

Chasing Her Dream

For many, switching careers is a daunting move. For Chew Yixin though, her decision to switch jobs could not have been more drastic. Having managed acquisition projects in the government sector prior, Yixin decided after five years, that she was going to realize her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

Yixin explained: “I've always been interested in fashion, from the garment construction point of view. From Rei Kawakubo's deconstructed garments to Hussein Chalayan's innovative pattern cutting, fashion has always excited me. I see it as the architecture for the human form that combines both art (design), and science (construction).

After spending five years in project management, I thought it was time for me to chase my dream. For me, it was now or never.” 

Riding A Career Of Adventure

“The best part of my job is when guests come back and say ‘the ride is the best in the park!’” Rachel Tan quipped with a bright smile. Having been in the Attractions Crew at Universal Studios Singapore for over two years, Rachel takes great pride in giving visitors the best ride experience. “Contrary to what many people think, ride operation is not just about pressing some buttons,” Rachel shared. “It is really about creating the right ambience, putting visitors into the right frame of mind to enjoy the ride. To do this everyone in the team has to chip in and play a part.”

Exchanging A Ship For A Theme Park

Rachel certainly knows what it means to be a team player. Before joining the Universal Studios theme park, she was part of the server team on board a leisure cruise liner, attending to the needs of diners in its various restaurants. But after eight years calling at various ports, she wanted a change in her work. “At that time, Resorts World Sentosa was offering positions in Universal Studios Singapore,” Rachel said. “I like the branding of Universal Studios Singapore and said to myself, why not give it a try and see where it goes?”

Not Afraid To Explore the Unknown

Koh Ho Peng stumbled on opportunities in the aviation industry by chance and he was glad he took the plunge. “Sometime in early 2009, during a chat with a family friend, he happened to talk about WDA’s Professional Conversion Programme,” Ho Peng said. “He told me about the Foundation Degree to train people to become qualified aircraft engineers and he urged me to explore this avenue since I’ve always been interested in engineering.”

Stirred by his friend’s sharing, Ho Peng decided to find out more about the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP), which assists professionals in switching to new occupations in other industries. He was immediately attracted to its comprehensive training programme and felt assured by its allowance scheme.

“As the family’s sole breadwinner, and with two children in school, I have to be very careful about any career move. I discussed with my wife and she supported me as we felt that the PCP could help me realise my ambition,” Ho Peng remembered.

A Heart For The Underprivileged

When he was younger, Clement was often puzzled when he heard the story of the boy who rescued starfish by throwing them back into the sea. He just could not see how this would help the thousands of starfish that were swept ashore by the currents.

Today, as a social worker, Clement finally understands what the boy was getting at. “Like the boy, we may not be able to help everybody, but the important thing is to help who we can,” Clement reflected. “In Singapore, despite our rapid economic progress, there are families who are left behind and they struggle to keep afloat financially. Though not often in the public eye, their plight is very real and is made worse by the current economic pressures.”

In Clement’s work, he assists families who are in a tight spot financially by helping them apply for short term financial assistance and guiding them in working out a long term plan for self reliance. Besides that, he also provides emotional support, basic counselling, as well as link beneficiaries up with other community resources.