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Q: You are originally from Malaysia, but are currently working in Singapore for Nu-Con Systems. Can you tell me about your path here?

A: I moved for three reasons, first of which is personal. I had a friend from back in Malaysia, and I wanted to join her here in Singapore. She has been working here, and I thought we could take care of each other in a not-too-distant foreign soil.

Another reason was political. Back in 2008, I wanted to avoid the political tumor growing in Malaysia. Our former deputy prime minister, Mr. Anwar Ibrahim, who was accused years ago of involvement in sodomy and imprisoned, had been released. A series of riots engaged by his supporters and the government’s supporters led to political instability in Malaysia and caused Malaysian Ringgit to perform weakly against other major currencies, including the Singapore dollar. I wanted to escape this political situation and look for greener pastures. I chose Singapore because it offered me a better salary.

Q: You have a strong background as an engineer. What makes you want to obtain an MBA now?

A: Because I want to step into the business field. In the past, the field of engineering was considered to have better prospects. Now business and engineering are on par with each other, if the former does not provide better prospects. Another reason is that I prefer the dynamics of business in which, more often than not, you are required to come up with creative strategies in order to gain the upper hand. You simply don’t find this in engineering.

Q: What is the greatest lesson you have learned from a mentor on the job?

A: This is from the time I was a procurement engineer, when I had a chance to work closely with the supplier quality engineering director. He was a very experienced man.

The most important lesson I learned from him is to address an issue or a problem only within its context. This means that we should keep all the fancy, flowery phrases and parables to ourselves and to communicate the issue in a concise and clear manner. Speaking around the issue won’t help to solve the dispute, and it will just make people think that you’re simply playing with words. It will not make you seem sincere in resolving a situation. Worse still, fancy quotes sometimes make people think you are insulting their intelligence. Therefore it is crucial to make your statements as directly relevant to the issue as possible.

Q: You are looking to get an MBA in Asia. What programs are you applying to and why did you choose them?

A: I am applying to CEIBS, NTU, NUS, and Hult.

I chose to stay in Asia mainly because of financial constraints. Taking up a course in the US or Europe would be beyond my means. Also, I was assured by a professor that the curriculum offered in those prestigious Singapore business schools is virtually no different than those of the North America business schools – just at a more affordable cost.

The other reason is that China is rising to become the next superpower in the world and Asia is experiencing unparalleled economic growth. Choosing a homegrown MBA program with an Asian focus, is, I believe, the correct choice for me.

Q: How do you hope that your MBA experience will impact your future? What are your career goals when you graduate?

A: My intention is to occasion a career switch from engineering to business. Of course, my long term goal is to be a successful, global business leader who is capable of shaping the future of not only the business but also the world. The movie ‘Human Trafficking’ by Christian Duguay blew me away so much that I vowed to make the world a better place for the poor through utilizing the power of an MBA.