Why your education need not define your tech career

Photo credit: Betterment

“Don’t let that lady next to you fool you. She is one powerful tiger,” quipped my associate. We were at the recent IIPL Chinese New Year celebration dinner and were about to do the traditional tossing of yusheng. As I turned, I saw Shirley Wong, an immaculately dressed and glamourous lady, befitting a person who shows that she has achieved much, but yet was approachable and had no airs about her. I politely introduced myself and did the usual namecard exchange.

“Managing Partner of TNF Ventures,” I said, as I read her namecard, and flipped over to the other side, “and Chairman of SiTF.” My associate had to rub it in and gave a cheeky smirk, “And Board of Director for iDA, Singapore Science Center and…” But he stopped short with a stern glare from her, and politely walked away.

Breaking that awkward moment, I asked, “Ms Wong, your involvement in these institutions are not your usual everyday roles. May I ask why do you take up such responsibilities?” And, for the next fifteen minutes, I was captivated as she gave me a synopsis of her life story.

I was so intrigued that I knew I could not let this opportunity to share her story slip by. So I persisted, “I am covering an article series called ‘Engineering in Singapore’ on Tech in Asia. I have been looking for a person to highlight and inspire others that engineering is a great profession. Please allow me to share this story.” She was highly reluctant initially, but finally relented and agreed for me to write her story.

Shirley Wong

An education path that was not her choice

Shirley Wong, a successful lady of many titles, and with over twenty years of experience in the IT industry, has much to celebrate with regards to her achievements.

In spite of her success, Shirley is not a university graduate. In fact, she had a rocky start academically. She was denied entry into Junior Colleges and Polytechnics as she did not pass her English exams, a main criteria for acceptance. This was despite her good grades in Mathematics and Science.

“The academic pathways during my era were so narrow. But fortunately, I was accepted into the Japan-Singapore Technical Institute (now defunct), an institutional apprenticeship training in Electrical Engineering. I soon realized I chose the wrong course, as part of the training was in the workshop, focusing on heavy duty practical activities such as electrical plumbing, which was not what I intended to learn,” she explained. But with a glint in her eyes, she continued “however, it was all not too bad as there were only three females in the class and I was fortunate to receive a lot of assistance from my male classmates.”

She felt frustrated and was conflicted by her choice of study. “I felt that I had chosen the wrong subject and was concerned about my employment opportunities and job prospects. I was wondering who would to hire a female electrician, as I presumed that most employers would prefer to hire male technicians. But when I was hired by Chartered Electronics Industries (CEI), all my fears were proven futile, and they gave me the opportunity to explore a new field.”

The coincidental path to being a CAD/CAM engineer

At her first employment at CEI, she was tasked to find out how to use the CAD/CAM software for electronics design.

Shirley recalls her time there. “It was the most interesting assignment for me, as it brought out the best in me. I am a self-starter and always on a look out for an efficient way to work.

I decided to continue to sharpen my skills and know how in the use of CAD/CAM. My inquisitive nature and quest for efficiency motivated me to make the best use of the software. I had no one to turn to except the manual, so I had to learn on my own. However, realising that there were limits to the manual and further exposure to the software capabilities were needed, I approached the vendor to introduce some of their customers to me. I took the time to visit them, and took the opportunity to ask as many questions as I could.”

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