Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forged their careers at ST Podcast Live event

Straits Times

3 days ago

Telecommunications system engineer Noel Png (left) and career coach Parameswari Seenivasan (centre) joined ST's manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi for a live recording of Headstart on Record. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Telecoms engineer, music producer share how they forged their careers at ST Podcast Live event
SINGAPORE – Most people expect professional networking to happen at conferences or on LinkedIn, but for Mr Noel Png, 31, it was a part-time bartending job at a bar that unexpectedly opened doors to a career in the satellite industry.
It all began in 2016, when Mr Png - then a mechanical engineering student in NUS - struck up a conversation with a group of Western visitors who were in town for a business convention. That chance encounter led to a local internship with Thales Alenia Space, a France-headquartered company that provides satellite-based systems for telecommunications, navigation and other purposes.
In 2020, he left Singapore for the UK to pursue a Master's degree in engineering before going on to work on satellite and defence projects across Europe.
Mr Png, who returned to Singapore in 2024 and is now a telecommunications system engineer at ST Engineering, shared his story during a live recording of Headstart on Record on June 3. He was joined by senior career coach Parameswari Seenivasan from Workforce Singapore (WSG), and the session was moderated by The Straits Times' manpower correspondent Tay Hong Yi.
The event, which drew nearly 80 attendees to Rasa at Republic Plaza, marked the third edition of ST Podcasts Live, a series kicked off as part of ST's 180th anniversary celebrations.
During the recording, Mr Png emphasised how networking has opened up more pathways for him. An extrovert by nature, he found it easy to speak to people from different fields and backgrounds - some of them would go on to become mentor figures in his professional life.
His advice for introverted individuals is to make good use of virtual platforms like LinkedIn, where algorithms can help connect them with others in related industries.
This episode of Headstart on Record was organised in partnership with WSG in support of Career Health, a SkillsFuture initiative.
Ms Seenivasan from WSG encouraged the audience to seek guidance from career coaches throughout their professional journey.
'You don't have to wait till if something's gonna happen, you can always check in with a career coach,' she said. 'A career coach can always help you find out your values, interests and skills, work with you with a career plan, and look at the goals that you want to accomplish.'
The full recording of this episode will be made available on ST Podcasts' YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify on June 16.
The event on June 3 also featured the recording of a Music Lab episode with award-winning Singaporean music director and producer Evan Low, one of the creators behind The Road Ahead, a well-loved National Day Parade theme song.
Close to 80 people attended the ST Podcasts Live event, held at Rasa at Republic Plaza on June 3.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
Helmed by ST music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi, the session focused on how Mr Low found his calling in music and built a career rooted in his passion.
Growing up, expressing himself did not come naturally to him, Mr Low said. That was because in his family, love was quietly served on a plate of cut fruits, but never spoken aloud.
But this changed when he discovered the piano.
The 36-year-old recalled a moment when he suddenly cried while playing the piano , and realised he could express his emotions through music.
He took a leap of faith and went on to study music at Singapore Polytechnic and subsequently the prestigious Berklee College of Music.
Catch the full episode of Music Lab on ST's podcasts platforms on June 25.