~ Find out more about yourself ( Know Yourself)

~ Discover more about your career interests, skills, work values, and learning styles.

~ These tools are meant to facilitate self-awareness and exploration. You can also make an ECG Appointment to gain further clarity about yourself and career aspirations.

~ No matter which education pathway you are on right now, our Singapore education system offers many choices for the next phase of learning that are suited to your interests, abilities and passion. ( Education Guide)

https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/student/en/secondary/world-of-work/industry-landscape/industry-detail.Food-Services-15629.html

https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/student/en/secondary/world-of-work/industry-landscape/industry-detail.Built-Environment-15621.html

https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/student/en/secondary/world-of-work/industry-landscape/industry-detail.Information-Communication-Technology-15633.html

https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/student/en/secondary/world-of-work/industry-landscape/industry-detail.Logistics-15637.html

https://www.myskillsfuture.gov.sg/content/student/en/secondary/world-of-work/industry-landscape/industry-detail.Social-Services-15644.html

I have learnt that logistics are extremely important and we have to keep records for everything otherwise when something goes missing or is placed in a different location and is not noted down it might be too late when it is noticed that it’s not at its original position for those who need to use it at the exact moment.

From this experience i learnt a lot on the importance of properly taking note of the logistics in order to prevent us going back and forth to set up. I also learnt that when we do things we need to be careful if not, we might make mistakes and damage equipment.

These are some of the things that I've learnt. I have also learnt from them to importance of not jumping to conclusion as a superior.I have also learnt that humans can be challenging to deal with.Lastly,I learnt that being a bus driver is incredibly challenging.Hence,we should always show gratitude because this job is hard,but they are still willing to do it.

On the second day at Yio Chu Kang Bus Interchange, we learnt more about how the staff handle bomb threats, chemical attacks & disruptions at this small but busy interchange!

On the third day and forth day at Seletar Depot, we got to see the Garaging activities, such as the refueling of diesel or recharging of buses; the Workshop activities, where buses undergo either preventive or corrective maintenance, as well as fixing of damaged buses that were involved in accidents.

Fun fact: While refueling buses, AdBlue liquid is also added into the diesel mixture. This AdBlue liquid not only helps to prolong the engine’s lifespan, but it also helps in reducing the amount of pollutants released by the buses.

Another fun fact: 1 electric bus can take 3 to 4 hours to fully recharge, and they have a range of 170 kilometres!

We also got to see automated bus wash in operation (for the exterior), and the manual bus wash (for the interior), where they wash 3 times and wipe 1 time.

We also discovered that currently there are new electric buses that have not been deployed for public use, but we got to see these new 3-door buses in person! There are 5 brands of buses that are stationed in this depot, such as Volvo, Scania, MAN, BYD, and Mercedes.

On the last day, we got to enter the Operation Control Centre (OCC) where they manage the distance between each bus, so as to prevent bus bunching (i.e. 2 buses following each other very closely), as well as know about the Rostering activities, where bus captains are dispatched according to demand & their respective shifts. The working hours are irregular, morning shifts starting at 4am and ending at 3pm, while night shifts starts at 1pm and ending at 1am the next day. We also got to enter one of the buses that was undergoing an automatic bus wash!

Overall, I think this job shadowing experience is truly worthwhile, as you get to see first-hand and experience the Behind-The-Scenes of a bus captain & other roles. If I had another chance to do job shadowing again, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

For the last 2 Days, at the Human Resources department, I was enlightened about what they really did. Before this, I had a very basic understanding of what they did. I only knew they managed the employees. However, after this educational experience, I found out that they had many things to do, ranging from employee recruitment to employee engagement. The amount of planning that goes into everyone of their projects is seriously commendable. For example, every month, they host a staff birth-month celebration for all the staff born in that particular month. Furthermore, every year, the host a Christmas celebration, inviting a charity of people ages 7-12 to join them and celebrate with food and games. To coordinate all the things needed is quite stressful, and yet, despite having a small group of 3, they manage to pull it off flawlessly. Moreover, as part of their day to day job, they have to look through countless of applicants looking for a job at One Farrer Hotel, and have to read through many resumes to find potential employees. The amount of effort they put, looking through hundreds of resumes per week is insane to me.

All in all, this has been a fruitful experience. Operating a hotel surely isn't easy. However, the staff at One Farrer Hotel still manage to execute this with their high standards and elegence. Through this Job Shadowing experience, I've learnt how a hotel operates, ensuring that both staff and guests are taken care of well.

Day 1- I did some admin work and was introduced to the Red Cross house departments.

Day 2- I went to Singlife at OUE Downtown 2. I was tasked to refresh my first-aid memory and help the trainers out. The trainers are teaching working adults about first aid. The adults need to pass the basic first aid course and the CPR+AED course. I learned about how to teach working adults as they are different from the students.

Day 3- I did a lot of admin work like sorting out files, cutting paper and looking at some presentations.

Day 4- I went to Sembawang bus interchange and Yishun integrated transport hub to carry out a roadshow with my trainers. I learnt how to engage strangers in public.

Day 5- I went to the Blood bank at Outram park. It is a learning journey. I also need to present my slides to the mentors.

On the 1st day I was very blur and didn't understand much but as time went on I became more familiar with the extremely high tech things that Cisco provides. I also very thankful for the welcoming atmosphere and hospitality that Cisco has which made me feel comfortable around them. I hope I get more chances like this to learn.

Apart from this, I was able to learn more about world happenings. We discussed real world issues like artificial intelligence, and climate change, as well as the issue of money, where the rich is too rich.

They then address the concept of do well bu doing good. I feel that it is a good concept. Through addressing society problem, we would be able to earn money through selling our solution. At the same time, we will be able to positively impact the public.

Finally, on the second day, we worked on a project. That project enabled me to tap on our group member's strengths, to create a short video. In the video, we tried to make it not only interesting and will grab the reader's attention, but also able to teach important values through the video.

In summary, this experience was indeed a memorable one, and I was able to learn a lot. I will definitely encourage others to take part in this job shadowing in future.

On Thursday, I swapped departments to the engineering department. I personally feel that it was quite boring as we only needed to follow our mentors around and help them carry their equipments. Nonetheless, I still learnt how important the engineers are to the hotel and also what the engineers need to fix on a daily basis. Besides, I also got to visit the presidential suite in the hotel which was massive and I felt that was really nice.

All in all, I really cherish my time at the hotel and may consider working in the service industry in the future.

temperatures dipping from 8 degrees celcius to 2 degrees celcius. Upon entering, the icy winds blown from the fans was like a punch to the face, waking us up. Since we had not brought a jacket with us as we expected the facility to be open air, we shivered like a wet dog during our time in there. As my fellow team members can attest, we found this and many other experiences enriching and memorable, I might not want to pursue this industry after all but at least I got a taste of working life and its ups and downs. So the next time you fall sick, you might want to thank the team at SSW who work tirelessly to keep Singapore Staying Safe and Well (SSW’s motto). I am grateful that even though I did not get my 1st choice, I managed to make the most of it and gained a whole new perspective of the outside world. If I was given the chance in the future to join another company, I would certainly jump at that chance. As the saying goes, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” I would recommend and even endorse the continuation of this programme for the current secondary 2 students and for future batches for their experience. Thank you.

Through job shadowing at Cisco, I have learnt a lot about cyber-security and how Ciscos services and products can contribute greatly to improving the safety and security of the internet. In summary, my experience at Cisco has allowed me to learn many new skills and see new things

Day 1:

Day 1 was mainly orientation. We were shown around the Red Cross House. Something that really amazed me was how the outside of the building looked old, but everything inside looked brand new and modern. I got to learn about some of the staff working at the Red Cross, such as the Secretary General, who likes to collect Red Cross stamps. After that, I helped out with some administrative work, such as printing out booklets for people attending first aid classes.

Day 2:

The other human doing job shadowing for the Red Cross and I are already certified in first aid. As a result, Ambrose Sir decided to change our schedule for job shadowing. So, instead of doing something at HQ, we were sent to OUE Downtown 2 to help train people in Basic First Aid, CPR, and AED! At OUE Downtown 2, we went to the Singlife office to help the trainers by teaching them first aid and CPR. However, before we even started, we encountered difficulties. I got lost (but eventually found my way and was not late) and somehow appeared behind the building I was supposed to enter. Siah Teng Han did not come to the counter to meet us and was lost (He was also an hour late). After that, we started preparation for the first aid class. Michelle taught us how to prepare for first aid lessons in public. First, we helped set up the CPR mannequins and the AED. I was taught to be mindful of the noise the AED produces and how far the mannequins are from each other. After that, I helped to account for the AEDs and CPR dummies we used. After the Singlife attendees had been trained in the theory and had taken their theory test, Michelle, Teng Han, and I started their practical. At first, I was nervous. I remember being shy and not being very audible. However, as time passed by I began to gain confidence and I could assist in teaching better! During lunch break, I learned that Singlife was trying to get every single member of their company to get a license in first aid. After that, we helped out with the first aid part of the BFA + CPR/AED course. We were passed over to Jingfa, another trainer. During the whole course, I was also tasked to help take photos. I walked around the various "Classrooms" and I took a total of 113 pictures! I also learned about the different teaching styles of different instructions. Jingfa used a more "school teacher" method, where he focused more on conveying the information. He even brought a tablet to present slides! Instructor David was more casual. He was like a storyteller, giving many situations and even acting out some of them. I could tell that the students in his class were really immersed and genuinely interested! After that, I helped pack up everything. Even after my shift, I still don't stop learning from job shadowing. I got to learn about nursing and how to be qualified to learn nursing from one of the instructors. This is getting a bit long so I will skip some stuff and get to day 3.

Day 3:

Today was one of the less active days. We spent essentially the whole day at Red Cross House, helping out with administrative tasks. Teng Han kept complaining, something about how they are making him work like a robot, but I decided to put my best foot forward and to do the task to the best of my abilities! I arranged about a 100 files, helped to print out a bunch of nametags, and even cut more than 300 tags for the AEDs! While an idiot might say that today was boring, uneventful and not a day where they learn much, I think I learned a lot. I learned how to stay optimistic, how to persevere and never let up and even learned how to use various office machinery!

Day 4:

Today was probably the most fun day! We were tasked to set up our booth at various public areas. Firstly, we went to Sembawang bus interchange. At first, I was extremely nervous talking to strangers. What made it worse is that most people there were old and old people are scary. There was even some old guy who tried to pick a fight with my instructor! From the Sembawang booth I got to learn how to choose people to rope into activities. If someone is too old, they might injure themselves doing CPR. If someone is too nosy, they might end up just wasting your time. So were taught how to identify people and to choose who to engage with. After that, we went to Yishun. It was much easier there, especially since most people there were able to understand English. To summarise, I learned how to talk with people in public, public speaking, identifying people to engage in, booth preparation and packing up.

Day 5:

we mainly just went through and improved our projects. In the morning we also had a learning journey at HSA bloodbank.

In summary:

I learnt so much. Just ask me in person and I will tell you all of it. But mainly, I learned how to be more confident when talking to strangers, how to teach lessons more effectively, how to be more efficient in every way (not a hyperbole).

Firstly, I assisted with contacting prospects, signing up new members, and how the business contacts defaulted members and follow up to possible leads.

Secondly, one of the managers shared with me how he makes use of Siri in iPhone to automatically send messages to members. And ways business use conditional formatting in spreadsheet effectively to record information.

Additionally, I also had a chance to build on my current knowledge in bodybuilding. After knowing one of my hobby is going to the gym, one of the staff was willing to help me improve my form, and ways to increase effectiveness of certain exercises.

Lastly I also had a deeper understanding of franchises like Anytime Fitness. How a gym operates and sustains itself.

I was told that the business approaches with 3 stages

1.First 5 years mainly focuses on profit

2.5-11 years retention of members, giving perks to existing/long term members, to sustain the business.

3.>11years social services, giving back to fitness community supporting the gym.

On the first day, we got to shadow the work in the Partnerships and Engagement Team, with Ms Ashely as our mentor. Throughout the day, we were tasked with critiqueing their social media campaign on the founders memorial, and come up with suggestions for programmes to be held as part of their exhibitio next year, titled not mere spectators. To provide us with ideas for the suggestions, our mentor brought us to the Asian Civilisation Museum to see how the topic of Pagodas were delivered to people, thereafter to the national library to view the exhibition on S. Rajaratnam. Despite that day being particularly sunny, our mentor was willing to bear the heat and bring us around. That day I also learnt that possible drawbacks or shortcomings of a proposed idea should be well thought out before consolidating the idea, and to refine the idea takes much effort.

The second day was where we shadowed the curatorial team. Our mentor for that day was Ms Sarina and she was extremely willing and cheerful in sharing their goals and jobscope. We were assigned to register books onto an online site whereby books can be accessed online. The books had to be history related, to connect to the theme of founder's memorial. Then we had the opportunity to design exhibition experiences where we looked through the national archives to find stories and artefacts of the founding leaders displaying the founding values (Multiculturalism, Openness, Boldness, Resilience, Service to others before self, Integrity) to display in exhibitions. Then we were brought to the national archives of Singapore to view private government documants, namely of those from Francis Thomas of the labour front, and learnt to find documents with 'face value' to display. This process, although tedious was extremely captivating. Lastly we gave suggestions on their proposed idea for the exhibition they planned for.

On last day, we shadowed the education and interpretation team, whereby our mentor was Ms Pearl. The day began where we had to go to north vista secondary school to oversee a filming for an exhibition in the founders memorial. Although tedious spending 4+ hours on set, it was truly eye opening as the former radio DJ for a malay radio station was interviewed on his past with under the British. Then we headed back to the office and discussed a CCE and English lesson plan for MOE relating to Singapore's history and the founding values, and gave our personal opinions on most of the topics. We even tested out their sample lesson packages such as an english comprehension.

The 3 days with National Heritage Board was extremely fun, interesting, educational and engaging to say the least. The teams dedication to what they do, and their hospitality towards us truly inspired me.

On the first day, we were assigned to the Partnerships and Engagements team. Under the mentorship of Ms. Ashley, we explored various exhibitions and learned about the process of proposing ideas for new exhibitions. We gained insights into how to make exhibitions both engaging and educational for the public.

On the second day, we were attached to the Curatorial team. In the morning, we assisted with registering books into the archives. In the afternoon, we conducted research on various sources and learned how to present them in a way that would be visually appealing and accessible to the public. One of the most fascinating parts of this day was our visit to the National Archives, where we had the chance to read restricted documents, including letters written by and to Francis Thomas in the early 1950s. This experience gave us a deeper understanding of how curators select photos and other materials for exhibitions, as well as how they determine what is important to display.

On the final day, we began at North Vista Secondary School, where we shadowed the Education and Interpretations team. Through observing their work on filming a short video, I gained a firsthand understanding of how challenging the filming process can be and what goes on behind the scenes. In the afternoon, we returned to NHB’s headquarters, where the team presented upcoming projects and sought our feedback. It was an interesting experience, and I appreciated the opportunity to contribute my thoughts.

One thing that stood out to me during these three days was how open everyone was to feedback. Despite being only 15 years old and surrounded by professionals in their respective fields, the staff at NHB actively sought our opinions on their upcoming projects and took our feedback seriously.

Overall, these three days were not only incredibly educational but also a lot of fun. They provided a valuable insight into office life and the work that the National Heritage Board does. The team’s friendliness and hospitality towards outsiders was something that truly impressed me and is something I will remember.

The station is a symphony of organized madness. Massive, confusing timetables thicken folders, showing the unending flow of trains. Trains arrive and depart to many destinations, from Punggol Coast to the Sengkang depot, a whirlwind of tracks, lights, and schedules in constant motion. To the average passenger, it may seem nominal, even mundane - but beneath the surface lies a controlled chaos that few truly understand.

How is such organized chaos even possible? As it turns out, resilience and courage. They face every delay, every complaint, every challenge head-on. When a problem arises—be it a faulty train or an irritated commuter—they don’t panic or grumble, they laugh, shrug it off as just another part of their day, and dive right back into it. When the crowds are slow, they chat and smile, recharging for whatever comes next.

These past few days not only taught me the inner workings of a transport line, but also values I never expected to find here. What I saw behind the scenes is something most people never see. What I learned are lessons most will never learn. And what I found, unexpectedly, is something I’ll carry with me—a deep respect and gratitude for the unyielding spirit of those who keep the station running.

(not chatgpt because people keep thinking this is chatgpt)

Being a technology company, Cisco also sells many different products, which include hardware, software and services like debugging. Their portfolio is huge, and the teams have to work together in order to ensure that the customer uses the product and that it works as intended. That being said, cybersecurity is also a critical issue. In the online course that we were tasked to do, we learnt about many different aspects of cybersecurity, with much technical vocabulary like phishing, whaling, layered firewalls, VPN, DDoS, antispyware, malware, ransomware, types of hackers etc.

One more major phenomenon that we observed in Cisco, and keeps becoming more relevant, is hybrid work. In simple terms, after the pandemic, hybrid work refers to the free option where workers can return to the workplace to work or work from home. This gives workers more freedom to choose where they want to work. Cisco even has their own digital space, Webex, and almost every meeting room is custom-equipped with Webex and iPad navigators. Webex basically functions like a combination of Google Meet and Siri, being able to answer questions and handle meetings. Each room in Cisco is fully customised, having adjustable screens, cameras and focusing lenses. To be honest, I really cannot describe the plethora of facilities in Cisco; you need to see it for yourself to believe it!

During my 3 days experience in Cisco, we went through many different sharings by people from engineering, sales, AI, cybersecurity, and countless other fields of expertise. On the last day, we played a “Capture the Flag” game and presented our slideshows, in response to a realistic business scenario and dilemma. This was given to us on the first day, and also taught me about work efficiency as I only had two nights to make a full slideshow, which is a very limited amount of time.

In summary, this experience at Cisco has taught me many different values and enhanced my understanding of digital spaces. It has very much sparked my interest in pursuing a technology-related career in future. I would definitely recommend this experience to my juniors in future!

Through games, projects, and lectures, I have got to understand more about CISCO and am super inspired to pursue my career in cubersecurity, and data science, in hopes to work at CISCO one day!

In all sincerity, I am truly grateful for this opportunity. That aside, I understand and am thankful for the effort that was contributed to make this eye-opening, educational and meaningful opportunity. Thanks a ton!

For the first day, I was observing the housekeepers clean and make over the rooms and also assisted in shifting some new inventory around the hotel. This day taught me that being a housekeeper is a very physically demanding job and the importance of teamwork when completing tasks.

The second day, I was attached to the florist who was also in charge of the entire hotel's decorations. I learnt that the decorations vary according to the various seasons and festivals in the year. There was also a lot of greenery in the hotel which provided the hospital patients and hotel guest with a chance to relieve their stress and feel refreshed. The florist also gave me a chance to make a bouquet and make some flower decorations for the hotel.Later on I also got the chance to help mop the hotel floors. The process was very thorough leaving no spots behind on the floor. This was also a very physically draining task as it left me very tired by the end of the day.

On the 3rd day, I was with the laundry valet and learned the importance of this role. She was in charge of the washing of both guests and staff clothing and making sure that the amount of clothes received back is accurate. It is important to be mindful of the different clothing that she is washing as some may be more prone to tearing or leaving marks. Later on I got the chance to be with the hotel's runner. His task was to deliver items to the guest's room upon their request and try to help other housekeepers with some difficulties that they were facing. He also go around the hotel replenishing inventory that were running low. This was quite tiring as we went up and down the 20 floors many times. Sometimes the guest's also have an unkind attitude and I learnt to be patient and help them with their problems.

For the last 2 days I was attached to the FnB section of the hotel.

On the forth day, I was with the escape restaurant where I learned to place cutlery, wash and wipe the plates and glasses, resetting tables, cleaning up after the customers leave, handle the customers.

On the last day, I got a chance to work at the skyline lounge. It was only accessible to those hotel guests that pay for the skyline package so the customers were more high classed and had higher expectations. I learnt to greet guests, engage them in conversations and get to know them on a personal level. This helps to improve the connection the customer has towards the hotel and leave good impressions. Resulting in them coming back to the hotel more often.

My mentors and workers in the hotel were very caring and often helped me when I faced difficulties. Overall I had a very good experience working with them, letting me learn more about the hotel industry.

Although the 3 days of hands-on experience was truly tough and a struggle for most, it personally served as an eye-opener to the arduous role of an F&B personnel. If 3 days already made me wish nothing more than to leave the job, I couldn't imagine having to work here full time to earn a living - especially during shifts at dinner time, where things are much more hectic. This allowed me to feel a deeper sense of appreciation and gratitude to everyone who tries their best at the F&B industry, as many people tend to look down on them - yet they don't see the immense amount of work and struggle the other end is facing.

Overall, this was an exhilarating and memorable experience, which allows me to forge unforgettable memories and friendships with my friends and colleagues. If given the chance to go again, I would definitely do so, as this experience truly strengthened my respect and gratitude to this commonly overlooked industry.

For the first 3 days, I was deployed to the marketing team. The people there were very friendly, and shared with me many life experiences and advice for me to take note and take action for the future

I also learnt to handle admin stuff such as printing, scanning, and organising documents, something I would usually be lazy to do, but I find it less frustrating and more therapeutic after I have gotten the hang of it

I was also tasked to gather information from other hotels to see what they were posting on their social media platforms, as well as the pricing of their wedding packages.

I had the experience of going down with a member of the marketing team to handle feedback, compliments or even complaints from guest in a good manner

For my last few days, I was deployed to the front desk, where I spent countless hours opening doors for guests, and greeting them with a smile, this made me feel good as well, and taught me how to bring out the best service and hospitality attitude to others

Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to serve the guests. When I saw a few guests that were lost, I asked them if they required assistance

I was also tasked to help out and write down luggage tags, and to keep their luggages safe and secure, as well as deliver their luggage up to their rooms

Though it was tiring, I learnt how hospitality was like

I was particularly impressed by Cisco's work ethic and culture. It was not only Cisco receiving the 'Best Place to Work' award for several consecutive years, but how the employees took pride in their culture. Something that I remembered was the flexible work arrangements implemented by Cisco. All employees could choose their work arrangements as long as they were productive. Thus, I feel that these innovative implementations are what organizations need to adopt to create a more positive workplace environment.

Aside from this, on day one, we were introduced to the basic operations of SAC.

For instance, the Head of Strategic Partnerships, Mr Ng, explained to us SAC's position in the Temasek ecosystem, in which Temasek Holdings (from their investments) channels income into their affiliations, which then contribute some good for society. Mr Ng also enlightened us on the nuances of economics and sustainable investing taking into consideration risk factors and future inflation.

Following this, the Senior Vice President for Research, Mr Sunil, had a candid conversation with us about the world's issues, the cumulative differences between the present and past, and the approach that organisations should take to address these. It was insightful learning about the balance between capitalism and state ownership, the polarisation of the world in terms of ideologies and economic income, and the problems with isolationism which may become more pronounced in the US with the leadership transition. The main focus though, lay in the resultant mindset of companies that only gave their excess revenue to sustainability etc. Legislation and regulation by the government would only go so far as to prompt a greater degree of this practice. In pursuing true sustainability, one should do well by (rooting from) doing good.

This concept segues nicely into the next segment, where we did a case study of tangible instances where companies succeeded by doing good. Eg. Mars Incorporated trains and gives resources to cocoa bean farmers to cultivate healthy cocoa trees, which not only helps the farmers to earn a livelihood but also aids the cocoa industry. In the examples covered, we sussed out the fact that having a long-term view, interdependence （one's success depends on others' success）, ownership mentality, and creative resilience, was integral to sustainable growth, ie. steward leadership.

On day two, we were given a brief workshop by Ms Ang (Vice President for Digital Strategy) and the IT team on getting the Steward Leadership message across to the public. (There are forums and seminars but for this session, we focused on the digital aspect). Social media posts, in order to effectively increase outreach, had to be concise and engaging. This is achieved by pacing, subtitles, leading attention (eg. pointing, turning head), telling a story, and hooking the audience.

In the afternoon, we put it all into practice by creating a video on the theme of ‘unequal pay’. The process of research, recording and editing cultivated our skills of teamwork. The coordination required has also enabled me to appreciate the significant interplay between researching on an issue and the presentation of how the public as individuals can lessen the issue.

In conclusion, my experience at SAC has given me a taste of networking amid the intricacies of the corporate world, and the many factors that one has to consider for decision making.

Besides that, the activities were well-structured and they were also engaging. Activities such as the office tour and the talk on cybersecurity also piqued my interest and made me want to learn more.

The highlight for me was when my friends and I got to participate in small competition amongst ourselves and got to present in front on some of the company’s employees. Although I did not win the first prize, I was very delighted that I had won a small CISCO speaker as a reward for my efforts.

Overall, I had lots of fun with my friends and I would highly recommend this to the next batch of students.

Another reason why Cisco is a great workplace is that they have communities you can join to represent yourself, allowing you to feel more comfortable at work. They also have the “giving back to the community” initiative, where they contribute by doing various activities such as volunteering.

Today, I got to be exposed to one of their weekly programmes, the news sharing. I think that this is really a good platform for the elderly to have a common topic to interact about as well as learn new things, keeping up to date with news.

I also was able to experience that the elderly are actually quite active and interactive, opposed to what I usually thought of about the elderly I was gonna meet.

Wednesday, 14/11/24

Today, I got the opportunity to learn a life skill which is sewing, and at the same time, interact with an elderly auntie who patiently taught me the necessary. I also got to bring my own key pouch as a memento of this experience.

Through this, I also learnt that there are elderly that are willing to use their time and skills to contribute towards a cause/project, which I think it's a good way for them to spend time, especially since they also interact with one another in the process.

All in all, I felt I got to experience a few of the programmes at CDAC, understanding their purpose of helping the society and also experiencing interactions with elderly gave the opportunity of having a feel of the aging generation in Singapore. I truly appreciate this job shadowing opportunity and had given me insight in something of my interest.

This experience has taught me many new things, how to negotiate, how to appear more confident when talking, and taught me many things about the technology in the world we live in today. I am now interested in working in the digital sector, and I happy I had this opportunity to learn.

1.Gym Maintenance, whihc is to keep in check the overall condition of the equipment, to make sure that things are where they are suppose to be at, Eg, the placement of different equipment was racked correctly, the disinfectant and towel for wiping down.

2. Sales, more or less the key parts of a gym manager. AF as a profit making organisation, sells a service to earn money, in this case is to allow members to use the gym equipment. It is important to aquire and encourage(till a certain point) prospects to join

3. Membership, in this case it is to maintain the number of existing members. As AF offers a service, it is important to make sure these customers continue with this form of service, which can basically equate to earning money as well. This segment of "membership" also constitutes a relatively large portion of being a gym manager.

4. Defaulting, this is to keep track of the members outstanding balance and overall managing of the members, such as members with outstanding balance, we can send reminders to keep them updated on their payments.

5. Being a Personal Trainer (optional) ,  such as providing an external service to support the new members that are unsure of what to do in the gym

Important things ive learnt that i believe i can apply in my life:

In a business, sometimes its important to view customers and prospects as a human. "Viewing them as a human" refers to being more friendly in a way, that you dont see them as a way to earn money, but a person, lets say, trying to apply for a service. In the context of a gym manager, while doing sales pitching to a prospec, it is important to know what the customer wants and needs, and give them the best outcome, sometimes even in the cost of denying your own services, eg a prospect compares AF with another local Gym, and finds more interest in the other gym. In this case, you should support the customer and give your honest opinions, you hence see them as a human, this also allows the customer to see the human version of you and not just a gym manager.

Thinking outside of the box, not by thinking outside of the box for ideas or in terms of knowledge, but applied for arguements and when there is a dispute. Lets say in the gym, there can be a angry or dissatisfied customer that starts an argument with you. During a argument, both parties will try to apply something known as self preservation, where you would say everything to make sure you are right, showing kindness to yourself rather than self criticism. If both parties continue this for of self preservation, it would become essentially a stalemate, neither sides would be happy as well. By thinking outside of the box, you try to understand people from their perspective, to see why they would be thinking is way, until at least one side starts to understand, there would be peace and settle down.

During the first three days, I worked with the Housekeeping Department. I learned that Housekeeping is the largest department in the hotel, responsible for everything from maintaining the cleanliness of the hotel lobby and restrooms to preparing guest rooms and arranging decorations. Their work often goes unnoticed, yet it is crucial to the hotel’s operations. I deeply admire their humility and dedication, as they work tirelessly behind the scenes without seeking recognition. In my eyes, they are the unsung heroes of the hotel.

For the final two days, I had the privilege of joining the Front Office Department. Here, I interacted directly with guests, assisting with tasks such as handling their luggage as they arrived or departed. This experience gave me the joy of serving others, and seeing guests smile as they left the hotel was incredibly heartwarming. Although the work was physically demanding, I persevered and gained a newfound respect for Front Office staff. Their role requires not only hard work but also the ability to handle a variety of guest interactions throughout the day with professionalism and grace.

In conclusion, this job shadowing experience was a truly eye-opening journey that introduced me to the dynamic world of the hotel industry. I am grateful for the invaluable lessons I’ve learned and for the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated professionals. Thank you to the teachers and the hotel staff for making this experience possible.

The last few days not only taught me the behind the scenes, but also values and hospitality the staff showed me. I am extremely grateful and lucky to get this rare opportunity from the school to witness this. I never once regret coming to this place.

RESPECT !!

However after this job experience at SSW Logistics, I now know how much effort is spent in order to ensure that the goods and products distributed are in perfect condition. Meticulous check after check is required just to send out a batch of products, which shows how there is no room for error and how precise the workers need to be just to maintain things up to standard, therefore showing this industry is not as easy than what meets the eye.

From the news-sharing session today, I observed how the volunteers shared the news with the elderly and how they interacted with them. I feel that being able to interact well and engage with the citizens is an important skill for me and from the news-sharing session I also gained new knowledge.

Day 2 (14/11) 

Today, I participated in the key pouch sewing session. From the keypouch sewing session, I learned how to use the sewing machine and also picked up a new skill. I feel that this skill is not easy to learn and it is essential for our daily life and we will definitely be using this skill in the future.

Day 3 (15/11) 

Today, I accompanied the elderly to the Fort Canning outing. From the experience, I gained new knowledge about the history of Fort Canning and also the iconic cannons. I feel that this experience gave me an eye-opener. The two events back to back also require good time management which I could manage well.

Overall, from this job shadowing experience, I had a chance to interact with the elderly and also engage in their activities. I feel that showing care for them is very important for our society.

In the first 3 days, I was attached to the engineering department. Whilst I had already assumed that this department handles the hotel's infrastructure, I was surprised by how many calls and jobs they had to do. Besides fixing things, this department also handles the renovation of hotel rooms and plans the procurement of new improvements to the hotel. Whilst I was there, the hotel was renovating 4 rooms on the top few floors and the engineer I was shadowing had to both help out in fixing faults and supervise the renovations. This meant that we were running around the hotel, often without much breaks to rest.

On the last 2 days, I was attached to housekeeping. On Thursday, I was attached to one of the members of the department who was a "runner". According to him, his job scope was to ensure that the amenities given to guest rooms were stocked up adequately. This meant that we had to always run to the central storeroom to the storeroom on different levels and guest rooms to deliver the different items, such as soap and cups. At the end of the day, I was really tired and amazed at how the runners could do this on a daily basis. On my last day, I was attached to the aunty who was in charge of the staffs' uniform. She taught me how the staff will draw out their uniforms and how their uniforms will be sent to external companies to be washed. Besides this, she also showed me how the hotel's guest clothes cleaning service worked.

To sum it up, this experience was enriching and I have learnt a lot more about this job scope.

Firstly, I learned how to do attendance from Yandy which at first glance, may look quite easy however it was much more complex and complicated than I could have ever imagined as many employees under this establishment often made mistakes that were new and confusing. After, Min showed me how they recruit different people to do specific tasks by scrolling through different websites like JobStreet, MyCareersFuture, and uncommonly, their website. Scrutinizing the resumé was necessary to check the key details like their job experiences and whether it was relevant to the job or not. I also learned that establishments can only employ a certain quota of foreigners, so even if an extremely qualified foreigner applies for the job, they will be rejected if the quota has reached a maximum. This rule was made by the Ministry Of Manpower to give priority to Singaporeans for jobs. Furthermore, Min also trained me on how to answer an interview by interviewing me as a mini quiz to see where I can improve, further enhancing a crucial life skill. Yandy also gave me a tour of the hotel where I got to see all the different areas and how to  When the day was ending, Min, Yandy and I went around the hotel to take pictures and videos of other students doing their work in different departments. 

The second day arrived and I was nowhere near as nervous compared to the day before and was warming up to Min and Yandy. I had arrived early and met Kemmy so I was tasked to help her to clean and remove the names of nametags from ex-employees. A while later, I learned from Min how to do performance appraisals for the other employees which determines the different benefits they get. Subsequently, I watched and learned more from Yandy about the daily attendance, which truly made me realise how important and difficult it was to take down the attendance. Right after, there would be a monthly birthday celebration for the colleagues born in October, as well as delivering the employee of the month before certificates and a fifty-dollar voucher as a reward on the third day that I will be with HR. Hence, I helped prepare some of the materials and equipment needed to celebrate the occasion. Additionally, after lunch ended, I was educated by Min on the off-boarding process for other employees and how the process goes from start to finish. After that was done, Min, Yandy and I headed down to the hotel’s confectionary which was in the lobby. There was a special tasting for their new Christmas pastries. There were many boxes filled with tasty desserts. Although I originally did not want to eat the pastries knowing in good conscience that the other students were probably undergoing some tough labour, I eventually caved in from the friendly peer pressure from Yandy and Min. In spite of this, I still felt slightly guilty so I bought a box of cookies which further turned into two boxes due to the amiable peer pressure from Min and Yandy. We also took the opportunity to take more pictures and videos of the other students busily doing their work. At the end of the day, I was told that would be a charity event for children in a certain primary school and One Farrer Hotel would invite them to the hotel and celebrate there at the end of the year. Hence, I helped by wrapping some presents for the children. 

On the last day of being in the Human Resources Department, I was disappointed that I would be leaving so soon as despite not having much interest at first, I had been exposed to the department and gained much interest. I decided to give it my best. I viewed the normal of doing the attendance which can only be done at eleven in the morning due to the data from night shifts not flowing until eleven. Next, the Human Resources Department gathered at the cafeteria to celebrate the occasion. After it went smoothly, I headed back to the office and was taught by Min how to create a poster, informing everyone unable to attend the celebration. After some guidance, she passed the project onto me, where I learned how to use Canva, to make a professional poster. In regard to the video, I came up with an idea to make the students express their current feelings towards their experience in one word. Hence, we went around to take videos of some of the students and their one-word. After gathering the videos from all the different departments, me and Yandy learned how to use CapCut together to create the video, making it flow smoothly. After all that, the day had come to an end and I said my goodbyes to the Human Resources Department, with great gratitude towards them who taught me so much. 

It was a new day and the day when I changed my department from Human Resources to the Kitchen department. I was under the dessert and pastry side of the kitchen, where I met the head chef, Mr Marcus Tan as well as some of the other chefs. I had to put on a hair net and gloves due to hygiene issues that could have occurred if I had not. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean and neat the kitchen was with everything being cleaned up almost immediately after use. I was placed to help with a chef on decoration for the free desserts given to couples who were on their honeymoon or anniversary. As I had never really baked or prepared food intensively in a kitchen before, I learned to tell apart fruit like blueberries, strawberries and raspberries if they were a good enough quality to be served. I was quite nervous as some of the desserts had been fragile and I did not want to break anything. After, I was assigned to do some packing and was sent off to lunch. After lunch, Mr Tan wanted me to file a delicate sweet known as meringues that could break easily. Despite trying my best not to break anything, I broke all the meringues he had given to me. I felt extremely guilty and sorry as now they could not be served all because of my mistakes. Hence, I developed a great hatred towards meringues. I was sent to do some measuring of ingredients after. After learning to make parts of more desserts, the day had come to an overall enjoyable end. 

The last day for me being under the Kitchen department and the overall job shadowing had arrived. It was bittersweet as I did not want to leave One Farrer Hotel but I was able to encounter so many different experiences that many would not have in a lifetime. I entered the kitchen and was once met again with many desserts that needed to be decorated and many pastries that had to be packaged. The hotel does not waste food too as I had to cut up bread that was not eaten at the buffet into small pieces and use it as the bread for bread pudding. After, I had a redemption on the meringues as I was given more to file but with encouragement from Mr Tan, I managed to persevere and only broke a few meringues here and there, leaving more than enough meringues to be used. This evidently showed that I had grown and learned a lot in just one day. In addition, another challenge was having to fit an exact amount of tiny cookies into a small bag but my hands were too big to fit into the small bag. I had to redo it multiple times but I was saved by the bell as I had to leave already. 

Throughout the journey, I am extremely grateful towards not only the opportunities but also to the people Min, Yandy, Kemmy, Marcus and all the others who were kind and led me through step by step, making this Job Shadowing experience worthwhile. If I had another opportunity to go through this again, I definitely would. Thank you. 

On the second day, i continued to assist my mentors when they were working as much as i could. On that day, i was also able to see Nan Chiau High School's Prom Night, helping more people around the hotel and moving their giftpacks up to the ballrooms. I had a very friendly mentor, who liked joking around with me and teaching me tips that can make moving around the hotel easier. He would also give me a free pastry every day after job shadowing. i learnt alot from front office, which is no doubt an important part of a hotel which many people overlook.

On the third day, i was assigned to F&B, where i would go and help out at the Skyline Lounge. Though there were little customers due to the exclusivity of the lounge with access only coming from the purchase of a suite, i was still able to help out with setting up the tables and restocking. My mentor was a very nice lady, who allowed me to have some small bites from the Skyline Lounge Buffet, which was an amazing experience as it was much better than the lunch. My mentor also taught me how to bring dirty plates down through the service lift to the kitchen, where the cooks would clean them, as well as how and where to bring new food to prepare for lunch and dinner.

Through this, i learnt to check whether customers had access, how to properly greet and serve them, in addition to maintaining the lounge.

On the last day, i was assigned to Escape Restaurant, a less exclusive dining area. This day was more tiring than any other as i had to wash and clean many different cups and plates, which seemed quite repetitive and tedious. However, this was only physically tiring, whereas other days were more mentally tiring. Luckily, this day was the shortest as we were called back early to celebrate our finishing of the programme.

All in all, i am very grateful for this experience as i was taught about the different roles that keep a hotel up and running, as well as learn how to appreciate them. Building connections and using my spare time after chinese O levels to gain work experience and insight is definitely soemthing i will never regret.

Journey with me now through the five days.

Day 1:

It was a sunny Monday morning. I made the harsh standing commute from Tampines to Jurong East, East to West. At 7.45am, I found the light blue company shuttle bus and met the other Marists. At 8am, the bus departed for the warehouse. After we reached the warehouse, we went into the warehouse and were greeted by shelves of boxes, pallets, and plastic wrap, accompanied by a constant smell, not pungent, not sweet, but fitting for the setting. We saw a line of part-timers in front of us, queueing up to sign in as contractors, while we had to sign in as visitors instead. We were confused, however, about what to do. Thus, we stood around, until we were greeted by a young lady, Guan Ying. She introduced herself as our person in charge, urged us to sign in for the visitor passes and safety vests and brought us to the meeting room.

At 8.30am, we kicked off the Job Shadowing formerly, with a safety briefing conducted by Guan Ying's colleague. Additionally, we managed to meet the Managing Director, Bilson, who coincidentally was a 10-year Marist. He talked to us about what to expect and also told us to lighten up, as we were very quiet the whole time, almost dead silent.

The day was boring, mainly consisting of theory, which was quite understandable - we had to understand everything before exploring the warehouse in full. We learnt that employees had compulsory breaks in time ranges for 15 minutes from 10am to 10.30am and 3pm to 3.30pm. We managed to get hot milo from the coffee machine too. We were also able to go into the Strong Room and the Cold Room which had a temperature range of 2-8 degrees Celsius. The day ended with us being able to go into the Cold Room again to enjoy the freezing temperatures, lasting a total of 13 minutes and 19 seconds before being urged out due to safety reasons. A decently active day to start the programme.

Day 2:

Day 2 was more exciting. We managed to be able to explore the warehouse with hard hats on underneath the shelves. We saw many popular manufacturers of medicine like B | Braun and Baxter. We got to learn about how the smaller medicines were picked through a PickFace system and also got to talk to the outbound team who manage the outbound deliveries to hospitals, polyclinics and even normal clinics sometimes. There were some usual customers like the National Cancer Centre of Singapore and Changi General Hospital. We even got to do some hands-on work, processing the item orders to match the stock-keeping unit number and also the batch number, expiry date and a few other things, to prove that the product was the same product that was ordered and meant to be shipped out. Overall, the activities for day 2 were also exciting, and we got hot milo again and again during the breaks.

Day 3:

On a bright and sunny Wednesday, we grew way more comfortable with Guan Ying and her colleagues and were also more open towards them. We met the inbound team who managed deliveries to the warehouse itself and processed them so that they were in pristine condition. After the whole procedure, they would keep them on the shelves at a constant 25 degrees Celsius or the Cold Room, or even in the freezer below -15 degrees Celsius. We watched the boring procedure of checking as Guan Ying's colleague checked, checked, and checked the same product repeatedly. We did understand that it was so that the consumer would not have a defective product, and it was for a good cause. We ended the day by having a Q&A section where we asked questions about Inbound and Outbound and what happens if a certain scenario happened.

Day 4:

On day 4, we were taken to the National Central Fill Pharmacy, where we met one of the pharmacists, who talked to us about how the pharmacy ran and why the pharmacy had shelves of many containers and allocation numbers. We were taken around the pharmacy and took a look at the whole system. It was really fast - a fluid motion from inbound, storage, picking, packing and delivery, like a river.

Day 5:

It was the last day, we were able to complete a few inbound activities - matching numbers, again. I and another Marist, Ayden, managed to complete half the activities fast while the rest completed the same amount at the same time. We learnt a load about the pharmacy and how it works to send medicine straight to patients' houses. To conclude the last day, we got a feedback section and also a Q&A about the pharmacy and the whole programme. We also got a heartfelt goodbye from everyone whom we met, and even the bus driver who drove us in and out of the compound every day. It was a wonderful experience, with just the right amount of everything!

Conclusion:

I've learnt a huge amount of things, from how the logistics and pharmaceutical industries work and also how a warehouse runs. I also want to appreciate and thank everyone who organised and helped with the programme, Lee Seng (Guan Ying's colleague), Bilson (Managing Director), Daniel (Guan Ying's colleague), Chua (Cold Room Specialist), Jess (Guan Ying's colleague), Sherman (Guan Ying's Colleague), and more. It was a true pleasure to be at SSW, and special thanks to Bilson for coming over to Maris Stella again for the Open House and allowing me to tour you around. Thank you, SSW Logistics, for the amazing hospitality for us Marists.