Being future-ready

My recent conversation with Ong Lip Hua has deeply impressed me: As a student who has lived in China for more than 20 years, I am very curious about life in Singapore, because I see the fact that I’m here as the second possibility of being Chinese. Ong Lip Hua is a fourth-generation Chinese immigrant to Singapore and he told me about the industrial change and the basics of Singapore’s development, which significantly helped my future plans.

I take away three main lessons from our conversation:

Firstly, I am a student majoring in chemistry and have recently been looking for my future career direction. I explained to Ong that I would like to switch to the biomedical field and he told me that this is a good direction, but that I should take into account my Chinese background since most biomedical companies in Singapore are American companies. I didn't know this before. He also mentioned that chemistry students can work in a wide range of industries, such as petrochemistry and the semiconductor industry. However, since Singapore is a small country, it usually does well in very specific industries. So, if I have the opportunity, I could consider working in some other countries after a few years of working in Singapore to broaden my horizons.

Secondly, we also discussed how a person can prepare for their future. In his opinion, a person needs to know whether he wants to be a 'boss' or a 'worker'. This is very important because if a person wants to be a boss, they need to accumulate contacts and secure enough financial support before they start their own company. On the other hand, if a person wants to be a worker, the most significant thing is to choose a good boss.

Thirdly, Ong talks about the some problems of China, namely that - compared to the USA - China doesn’t have the same multi-cultural environment. Such an environment boosts innovation because people who grow from different backgrounds have different opinions. This is something that I've never known about China, where we acquiesce to our environment.

In conclusion, I received valuable advice on what to take into account when switching industries, came to understand the difference between becoming a 'boss' or a 'worker', and lastly was make aware of the differences in multi-cultural environments.