David Soh and Joy See
David Soh:
My parents blessed me with a good education up to Pre-University. Although I didn’t go on to University, I was blessed with opportunities and mentors that showed me the way forward. And of course, in everything that I have been blessed with, I know that my God was there for me from the beginning and continues to be with me.
Experience has been my teacher. Whilst my social skills and ability to work independently was learnt through school and through my ECA (I was a Boy Scout and was active in Backstage Ops in the Drama Club), more experience and skills were picked up during my NS days and I was privileged to work at the Ministry of Defense HQ.
I was assigned to a special project and had a unique job to interview thousands of soldiers for a Manpower Data Conversion Exercise. It exposed me to such a wide range of persons and skills and an unusual opportunity to visit almost all the Camps in Singapore. Whilst military discipline is regimented, I grew to understand its importance in organisation and in managing people and resources. I also had the opportunity to draft memos and papers under the supervision of my supportive boss. The army also taught me about contingency plan and planning. Plan and Plan B and if possible, Plan C, was ingrained into us.
All those skills and experiences groomed me and prepared me when I joined a local Bank as a Teller. The organisational skills and disciplines from the Army held me in good stead when I was later involved in several key and major projects. They included the computerisation of the Bank and in its Building Project (a 60-storey building which then was the tallest in Asia). Apart from other digital initiatives, I was also active in the Bank’s Social and Sports Club for employees. I became a key member and was active for over 25 years.
The more I did, the more I learnt and gained tremendous experiences through opportunities and at times through hard knocks. But importantly, it was not all about me, it was possible through supportive mentors and colleagues who guided me through my journey.
Knowledge is there for us to acquire, even in our days where Google, YouTube or even the internet was non-existent. Books, magazines, periodicals, and sometimes documentaries were good resources. And of course the physical Library.
Today, with the plethora of information, we have no excuse to be ignorant. Whatever you need to know you just have to literally use your fingers to Google for the information. We just have to have the desire or thirst for knowledge, for learning is continuous from the time we gave our first cry and to our last breath.
I am in my sixties and I am still excited to be able to learn even more with the technology available. I cannot imagine if we had this power in the 80s, how much more we could have achieved. Learning never stops as long as we have life.
Remember - Learning is always a treasure to follow its master (Chinese proverb).
Joy See:
Learning is always a treasure to follow its master…
I’m always extremely thankful for the good opportunities that I have been blessed with in my education.
My parents, my mentors, and the wider supporting structures of the schools and community have nurtured me to who I am today.
Various programmes have allowed me to touch both the east and west of the world, broadening my horizons and seeing the possibilities of what Singapore has to offer to the world, and the world to Singapore…
As I set my sights and sail into the future, I hope to bring Singapore a step higher on the global stage in whatever I do!
