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Straits Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Spin, stitch and strum: Fun ways to spend your CDC vouchers
Consider spending your CDC vouchers on new experiences, from picking up a new dance move to trying your hand at crafts. PHOTO: ST FILE Spin, stitch and strum: Fun ways to spend your CDC vouchers SINGAPORE – Got your latest tranche of CDC vouchers and not sure where to use them besides your go-to hawker stall? Consider spending them on new experiences , from picking up a new dance move to trying your hand at crafts. All Singaporean households have received $500 in CDC vouchers, with $250 earmarked for use at participating heartland merchants till Dec 31. Here are some fun, offbeat ways to stretch your vouchers. Dance it out Cindini Dance International accepts CDC vouchers for dance essentials. ST PHOTO: SRINIDHI RAGAVENDRAN Ever wanted to try Latin or ballroom dance? Cindini Dance International in Upper Cross Street offers Latin and social dance classes. CDC vouchers can be used to purchase dance essentials such as shoes, dresses and other apparel at the studio . Dance shoes start at $128 . Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned dancer, your vouchers could be your first step onto the dance floor. Where: Cindini Dance International, 03-47 Hong Lim Complex, 531 Upper Cross Street Open: Mondays and Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11am to 5pm; closed on Tuesdays and Sundays Info: Get hands-on with crafts GentleHands studio offers candle-making workshops. PHOTO: GENTLEHANDS CRAFT CANDLE STUDIO At Choo-P Leathercraft, you can browse a wide range of leather or sign up for a leathercraft workshop . The studio i n Kreta Ayer Road accepts CDC vouchers for products and classes. Standard workshops are priced at $135 and include crafting a small namecard holder. This is a beginner-friendly project that teaches the basics of leather cutting, hole punching and hand-stitching. Classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 10pm. For those looking to take on more advanced projects, such as larger bags, prices go up to $600 , depending on materials and design. If you have a nose for scents, consider making your own candle at GentleHands . The craft candle studio in Kreta Ayer Square offers workshops to create your own message candle or room diffuser. Prices range from $39 to $58 a person for a one-hour session. Ms Christine Lim, 50, founder of GentleHands , said that in the past year, at least 30 people have used CDC vouchers to pay for the workshops. Where: Choo-P Leathercraft Singapore, 01-08, 334 Kreta Ayer Road Open: Mondays to Saturdays, 11am to 8pm ; closed on Sundays Info: Where: GentleHands, 01-32, 333 Kreta Ayer Road Open: Tuesdays, 11.30am to 4.30pm; Wednesdays to Fridays, 11.30am to 5pm; Saturdays, 1 to 4pm; closed on Sundays and Mondays Info: Lose yourself in a book Basheer Graphic Books in Bras Basah Complex has a wide collection of magazines. ST PHOTO: SRINIDHI RAGAVENDRAN Trade screen time for page turns at indie bookstores that accept CDC vouchers. At Jing Si Books & Cafe in Geylang East, browse titles on mindfulness, spirituality and personal growth while enjoying a peaceful reading nook and a cup of tea. The space doubles as a quiet retreat, perfect for unwinding after a long day. Over at Basheer Graphic Books in Bras Basah Complex, you will find a treasure trove of art and design books, photography collections, architecture magazines and graphic novels. It is a go-to for creatives and curious minds. Whether you are into visual storytelling or philosophy, or just looking for your next paperback , these bookstores are a haven for book lovers seeking something special . Where: Jing Si Books & Cafe, 01-219, 134 Geylang East Avenue 1 Open: Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 6pm; closed on Mondays Info: Where: Basheer Graphic Books, 04-19 Bras Basah Complex, 231 Bain Street Open: Mondays to Saturdays, 10am to 8pm; Sundays, 10am to 7pm Info: Strike a chord Pick up Chinese instruments at Eight Tones Music School. PHOTO: EIGHTTONESMUSIC/INSTAGRAM Whether it is a Chinese instrument like the erhu or a Western one like the guitar, your CDC vouchers could help kick-start your next musical chapter. At Xin Yue Music Studio in Bras Basah Complex, you can use your vouchers to purchase instruments such as the guitar and ukulele, as well as beginner-friendly music gear. Over at Eight Tones Music School in North Bridge Road, which specialises in Chinese musical instruments, you can pick up the erhu, guzheng and dizi flute, along with accessories such as strings, rosin and padded cases with your vouchers. Where: Xin Yue Music Studio, 02-85 Bras Basah Complex, 231 Bain Street Open: 11am to 6pm daily Info: Where: Eight Tones Music School, 02-5041, 465 North Bridge Road Open: Weekdays, 12.30 to 8.30pm; weekends, 10am to 6pm Info: Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
03-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Enter the ‘career imposters': Gen Zs flipping the script on career fulfilment
More Gen Zs are switching careers early to chase purpose rather than conventional notions of stability. ST PHOTOS: TARYN NG, MARK CHEONG, SRINIDHI RAGAVENDRAN SINGAPORE – After graduating with a diploma in nursing from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in 2021, Ms Suhada Wang entered a workforce gripped by the Covid-19 pandemic. She stepped in as a locum nurse, spending her shifts administering medication and monitoring vitals on the front line . The job was stable, but repetitive. 'Every day was the same,' she said. 'I had a sense that life must be more than this.' That sense of 'more' took shape after an 18-day budget trip to Bali in 2022. Somewhere between cheap eats and shared hostels, she was reminded of her teenage dream of working in the media industry. Nursing had been her mother's choice, but chasing stories and documenting travel felt like hers. Travel content creator Suhada Wang made the switch from nursing. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG Back in Singapore, she set her sights on The Travel Intern, a local travel content platform that reflected the kind of career she wanted. With no portfolio to show, she continued working nursing shifts while saving for short trips. Over a year, she travelled to Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, documenting her experiences along the way. This eventually made her a perfect fit for The Travel Intern, where she has worked full time since April . Ms Wang, 25, is part of a growing wave of 'career imposters', a term increasingly used on social media to describe people, often Gen Zs, who pivot into careers they were not formally trained for. It plays on the idea of 'imposter syndrome' – the feeling of being a fraud or unqualified – while reclaiming it to reflect agency and reinvention, rather than inadequacy. For many career imposters , the goal is not climbing the ladder, but carving out a path that brings meaning and fulfilment. A 2023 study by global workforce solutions company ManpowerGroup found that 97 per cent of Singapore respondents said having meaning at work was important to them. Yet, only one in five reported feeling 'very satisfied' with the level of meaning in their jobs. The need to balance personal life responsibilities with professional aspirations (20 per cent) and lack of skills and experience (15 per cent) were other challenges the 494 local respondents polled faced in their quest for jobs with purpose. 'I wasn't happy' The issue of graduates working in fields unrelated to their area of study was raised in Parliament in January. In a written reply, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said the proportion of graduates working in a related, full-time job had increased from 2014 to 2023. For polytechnic graduates, this proportion rose from 71 to 79 per cent, and for autonomous university graduates, it increased from 82 to 86 per cent over the 10 years . Graduates from specialised disciplines were more likely to enter related jobs, he added. For example, over 95 per cent of health sciences polytechnic and university graduates took up a related job, much more than those from broader disciplines. In comparison, only about 69 per cent of humanities and social sciences university graduates went into related jobs over the 10 years. But Gen Zs are beginning to rewrite the rulebook, trading predictability for purpose and pursuing work that speaks to them. Take Mr Lim Zheng Wei, who graduated from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) with a degree in materials engineering in 2023, but went into an unrelated field. He now spends his days tending to marine animals and corals as an aquarium specialist at S.E.A. Aquarium . 'My dad was a big influence on my decision to study engineering at university. As an engineer himself, he said it was a stable and secure profession. Hearing that growing up, I decided to study something similar,' said the 28-year-old. But he never let go of his childhood fascination with marine life. Growing up, he watched marine biology documentaries instead of cartoons. In primary school, his teacher entrusted him with the care of tetra fish, which he took home. They did not survive, but his interest did. He started working part-time at S.E.A. Aquarium in 2021, while still in university. 'I just thought I would keep my interest in marine life as a passion,' he said. Aquarium specialist Lim Zheng Wei graduated with a degree in materials engineering. ST PHOTO: SRINIDHI RAGAVENDRAN Juggling his time between school and the aquarium, he gave tours to visitors and had the opportunity to spend time with aquarists. 'Talking to them was the turning point for me. I realised this is something I can do full time,' he said. Ms Prasanthi Guda, head of the undergraduate careers team at Singapore Management University's Career Centre , said: 'Gen Zs have a lot more information than previous generations, thanks to the internet and resources available now. Students today can take on internships early, try different careers and explore options before committing.' The career coach added that this gives younger people more leeway not to be limited to one industry. 'When they do that, a certain fear dissipates. You're more willing to experiment, you can make informed choices and you know there's opportunity out there, even if you don't stick to one job or role. That's why so many young people want to gain as many experiences as possible,' she said. While some young professionals ease into a new industry by juggling side gigs or freelance work, others dive in headfirst. Pre-school teacher Kamini Manivannan used to work in public relations. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG For Ms Kamini Manivannan, 32, the shift from public relations to early childhood education was a deliberate break to clear her mind and chart a new trajectory. After graduating with a degree in communication studies from NTU, she spent close to three years as an account manager at a public relations firm. 'I was doing so much, ticking off KPIs (key performance indicators) and making clients happy,' she said. 'But I wasn't happy .' The turning point came late one night as she was wrapping up her usual media monitoring tasks. Her mother walked past and asked a simple question: 'How are you?' It struck a nerve. 'She sees me at home every day, but we hadn't really spoken in a long time. That hit me. I realised how absent I had been,' she said. What followed was an emotional meltdown and a career pivot. As someone who always had an affinity for teaching and spending time with children, Ms Kamini began retraining for the pre-school sector, picking up part-time jobs to stay afloat while pursuing an 18-month conversion diploma in early childhood education at the National Institute of Early Childhood Development. Her days were packed. She worked mornings as an assistant teacher at pre-school chain Chiltern House, gave tuition in the afternoons and facilitated creative writing classes for primary schoolers in the evenings. 'At one point, I was juggling five to six jobs,' she said. Despite the long hours, she noticed a change. 'I didn't feel as low at the end of the day. I had more time for my family and I felt lighter.' She completed her diploma in 2018 and is now a teacher at Trehaus, a pre-school in Funan mall . She is also doing a master's degree in early childhood education at the National Institute of Education. But making a bold switch is not just about dealing with logistics or gaining new qualifications. One of the biggest challenges many young career changers face is managing the expectations of those around them, particularly family members. For Ms Kamini, a more than 50 per cent pay cut raised concerns at home. 'My parents started to see the downsides of the early childhood sector,' she said. 'They said I studied so much, went to university, got a degree, but am back to square one, doing a diploma and earning less.' What they struggled to understand, she said, was that salary was not her top priority. 'My main focus was finding something that gave me joy.' Similarly, Ms Wang's mother, who had discouraged her from enrolling in media studies in polytechnic, was shocked when she wanted to quit nursing. She recalls her mother asking: 'Isn't nursing good? Doesn't it pay well?'' Still, both said their parents eventually warmed up to their decisions, once they saw that Ms Kamini and Ms Wang felt more fulfilled . Tension between practicality and passion (From left) Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information final-year students Kylie Tan, Isabelle Ang, Krissten Tan and Nurul Ain Nuwairah are leading the campaign Spark The Start, which seeks to spark dialogue on unconventional career paths. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG Raising awareness about the importance of pursuing meaning in one's work is what a group of communication studies undergraduates at NTU set out to explore through their final-year project , Spark The Start. Done in collaboration with the Early Childhood Development Agency, the campaign seeks to spark dialogue on unconventional career paths. 'We wanted to challenge the idea that everyone has to chase something stable, secure or prestigious,' said Ms Isabelle Ang, 23, one of four members behind the campaign. The team also comprises Ms Krissten Tan, 24; Ms Kylie Tan, 22; and Ms Nurul Ain Nuwairah, 24. As part of their research, the team surveyed 150 respondents aged between 21 and 25 to understand what drives Gen Z in their career choices. The findings pointed to a noticeable shift in priorities. The top career motivation was personal fulfilment, cited by 57.9 per cent of respondents. This was followed by work-life balance (10.5 per cent), job security (10.5 per cent), salary (9.8 per cent) and societal impact (5.3 per cent). To encourage further self-reflection, the team also created a career journal titled Beyond The Locker Door. It consists of nine free-form activities designed to promote self-discovery and introspection, and was distributed to 995 secondary and junior college students. Commenting on the career dilemmas many young people face, career coach Ms Guda noted: 'The tussle between practicality and your passions is a challenge that plagues even veterans .' It is only natural, she added, for young people to feel this tension too. 'The ideal is a healthy mix of both, but if you don't have that in your first job, it's okay. You can seek it as you go along,' she said. The key, she added, is understanding 'what to prioritise at different stages of your career'. Furthermore, exploring different career paths is helpful in picking up diverse, unexpected and valuable skills. Ms Wang may no longer be a nurse, but her clinical training still comes in handy. 'When I travel with friends, I'm always checking on everyone's well-being and I'm the one who knows what to do if anyone falls ill,' she said. Mr Lim's engineering background occasionally proves helpful in surprising ways. He once needed to transfer a cold-water marine animal from its 17 deg C habitat to another facility. The water in the holding facility was about 10 deg C more, and the team needed to cool it down quickly. 'I remembered an equation from a physics module about heat transfer,' he said. 'So, I calculated the amount of ice needed to bring the temperature down . I wasn't sure if it would work, but it did. Instead of just guessing and dumping ice in, we got it right the first time,' he added. For individuals like Ms Wang, Mr Lim and Ms Kamini, veering off their original career paths was less a mistake than a step towards growth. Feeling like imposters in their previous roles, they embraced uncertainty and entered unfamiliar fields without formal training or a clear road map . Yet it was precisely this sense of not quite fitting in that gave them the courage to move to spaces where they did. Ms Shirlyn Ong, career adviser at the NUS Centre for Future-ready Graduates, suggests that those looking to pivot to a new field should start by finding out the key skills or certifications required for the role and consider enrolling in courses to bridge knowledge gaps or seek volunteer opportunities first. Such career changes often involve weighing passion against practicality – with practicality typically associated with better pay, stability or progression. 'If they were to find themselves at such a crossroads,' Ms Ong said, 'I would suggest they speak to experienced individuals in the field they are passionate about.' These conversations could offer insight into how others made the path work financially, and uncover adjacent roles that balance both meaning and income. For Ms Kamini, financial considerations were never far from her mind. 'Not having a family to provide for did make it a bit easier to switch careers,' she said. 'But it was still something I had to consider as my dad had always been working two jobs and I wanted to ease that burden. That is why having savings is really important.' Today, each of them stands in a role that aligns more closely with the life he or she once imagined – one defined by meaning . As Ms Wang put it: 'As a generation, we are really lucky. We have resources and we just have to not be afraid to try new things. Sometimes, we just have to break that barrier and give it a shot. Because you never know until you try.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Debut novel Swimming Lessons surfaces from author Malcom Seah's personal struggle
Malcom Seah, author of Swimming Lessons, began writing the novel in 2021 during national service. ST PHOTO: SRINIDHI RAGAVENDRAN SINGAPORE – In the sterile quiet of a ward at Mount Alvernia Hospital, Malcom Seah found his way back to a story he had set aside. The 24-year-old began writing his debut novel in 2021 during national service. He spent the first month sketching out characters and mapping the plot. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
