“You don’t get a second chance at being young and passionate,” says Nedra Lim, who seized a one-way ticket to London last year when she cliched a job in UK-based travel technology company Skyscanner.
Working overseas has been an ambition since her time as an exchange student.
“My stint in Berlin, Germany, really changed my perspective of the world and the phrase, ‘The world is my classroom’. I learnt from friends from different countries and cultures, and discovered a curiosity for life and the world beyond my bubble in Singapore.”
“Living alone came quite naturally for me since I’ve gone on exchange alone, but this was different. Relocating to London for work felt like I was going through ‘hyper-adulting’. I had to find a place to rent, get furniture, pay bills and sort out everyday necessities on my own, and all this at the point when the pandemic started to hit the UK.”
With the travel industry being among the most severely impacted sectors, Nedra was affected by a major restructuring at her company, which let many of her colleagues go.
“I had to adapt in an instant to big changes in roles and day-to-day projects we were working on. This meant I had to pick up many new skills.”
No two work days are the same, though on a typical work day, she talks to partners from around the world while managing marketing campaigns and linking up with the engineering team. The 2017 mathematical sciences grad believes in finding silver linings and being thankful for the opportunities given to her.
“I have a job I love, an amazing worklife balance and autonomy over my career development and goals. Having talented colleagues to learn from will help me down the road too.”
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This story was published in the Aug-Sep 2021 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
