A student-led campaign aims to educate young shoppers on how to guard against e-commerce cheats
Month: August 2021
Posture perfect
Who would have thought sitting around would cause us more pain? But it’s true – our increasingly sedentary lives have made us more vulnerable to neck, shoulder and back aches
They found their career niche
Engineer, doctor, banker, artist… you probably know someone in one of these jobs. But how much do you know about a fraud investigator, an urban farmer, a flavour scientist and a white hat hacker?
Teo Eng Siong
Accountancy graduate
Works at: PayPal
Job title: Investigator (Global Investigations)
Describe your profession.
I am like a private detective that’s been hired by PayPal to investigate whether white collar crimes such as fraud or sales malpractice are taking place within the company. The difference I bring to the table is my knowledge of numbers.
How did you land this job?
When I was in my first job at KPMG, I was briefly exposed to the anti-money laundering compliance programme. After that, I joined Navigant, an American consulting firm, where we performed cross-border bribery and corruption investigations. That gave me my first insight into such investigations and I liked what I saw. I continued along this career path for the next company I worked at before joining PayPal.
What about your job motivates you to get out of bed each morning?
I love that my job never gets boring or routine! People who are out to commit fraud are not going to follow a template, so I too have to think out of the box when I’m investigating.
Tell us what skills you need for your role.
I have to be resourceful and think critically to get a satisfactory investigation outcome. I also need to be adept at making sense of data. Other key skills include interviewing techniques. It sounds simple, but it rarely is. I actually trained alongside various law enforcement agency officers in the United States.
What are you thankful to NTU for?
NTU’s reputation for producing quality “job ready” graduates worked in my favour. My GPA wasn’t great, so I think this helped me get my foot in the door in
this industry.
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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.
Sunny Neo
Computer Science graduate
Works at: Cyber Security Agency of Singapore
Job title: Lead Consultant
Describe your job.
I lead a team of “white hat” hackers to discover if systems can withstand security attacks by criminals. We do this by playing the role of a hacker and run attack simulations on organisations. In doing so, we help organisations test and improve their ability to detect and respond to cyber attacks.
Tell us about your lightbulb moment.
In 2003, my personal computer was hit by malware. That sparked my interest in cybersecurity as it showed me how security vulnerabilities can be exploited to change the way your computer functions. In Temasek Polytechnic, I was exposed to the different aspects of cybersecurity, which stirred my interest in this field.
Can you explain the importance of cybersecurity to the rest of us?
How we live, work and communicate is increasingly intertwined with technology, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend. Videoconferencing software, food delivery and online shopping platforms are now a regular part of our lives. Without cybersecurity, we would not be able to trust and use these technologies and platforms with confidence – imagine your identity being stolen, your life savings wiped out.
What do you love about your role?
I was in the private sector for many years. There, the work was very rewarding, but the outcome would only affect the client. Here, I get the chance to work on projects and initiatives of much wider significance and contribute at the national level. On top of that, I enjoy working with many passionate colleagues who are laser-focused on driving positive changes across the cybersecurity industry.
What are you grateful to NTU for?
My rigorous education equipped me with a strong foundation in the different domains of computer science such as algorithms, operating systems and computer networks. As cybersecurity cuts across domains, I need to be conversant in these areas, which also helps me learn on the job faster. Hackers are always coming up with new ways to circumvent the systems, so my skill set and knowledge need to constantly evolve in order to keep up with them.
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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.
Ong Shi Li
Chemistry & Biological Chemistry graduate
Works at: Givaudan Singapore
Job title: Application Technologist
Describe your job.
I play with food, or more accurately, flavours in food. I sample food every day, assist in flavour creation and apply these new flavours to food products to check if they work.
So… what’s cooking in the labs?
As I’m in the non-savoury flavour department in Givaudan, I work on flavours for things like coffee, tea, alcohol, dairy products, biscuits and even baked goods. Currently, I’m working on a new flavour for alcoholic beverages, so technically I’m allowed to “drink” on the job.
Tell us your secret to finding this cool job.
You have to love science! Chemistry and biology were two of my favourite subjects in school and so it was an easy decision to join NTU. I applied to Givaudan for my internship as I love food and this was right up my alley. One of the first things I had to do was pass a smelling and flavour test. I’ve been here ever since!
Any achievement you’ll never forget?
Beverage manufacturers typically prefer liquid flavours. My fellow flavourists had been unable to convert a flavour from solid to liquid form even after many tries so I was delighted when I managed to pioneer a method for it. This method is still being used in my company today.
What tips do you have for your juniors eyeing a similar role?
The skills I picked up in the NTU labs – and in my biochemistry and organic chemistry classes – helped me settle into my role very quickly, so try not to slack off during your lab sessions and tutorials! Other than that, to thrive in this job and have a lot of fun doing it, you need to have a huge interest in food and flavours, as well as natural curiosity about how things work.
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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.
Sarah Rodriguez
Communication graduate
Works at: Edible Garden City
Job title: Head of Marketing
Describe your job.
I am a part-time urban farmer and a full-time marketer for Edible Garden City. We build and construct urban farms for companies, provide restaurants and bars with our produce, and try to encourage people to grow their own food in Singapore.
How much farming experience do you have?
Not much! Before I joined Edible Garden City, I had a desk-bound job at HDB. One day, I decided to go to Japan to pick apples and live on a farm, and that’s what I did for two weeks. I loved that experience so much I wanted to continue doing it in Singapore, so I started volunteering at Edible Garden City. After a few months of seeing me toil under the sun, they offered me a full-time job.
What is the best thing about your role?
It’s wonderful that I get to do a spot of farming whenever I feel like getting my hands dirty. I enjoy working outdoors and knowing that the vegetables that I tend to will eventually make their way to people’s plates. What’s more, even when I’m working indoors, I know that I’m not boxed in by concrete buildings. All I have to do is step out to be surrounded by nature.
Take us through a day in your job.
Like most people, I start my day by checking my email. After that, things will not look the same day to day. Each day here is varied and exciting. Some days I stay put at our Queenstown farm. Other days, I might travel to the different urban farms we have in the city, where I’ll meet clients or members of the media. Sometimes, I carry out experiments, such as the best way to mix potting soil, and film step-by-step videos so we can pass on our knowledge.
Advice for your juniors?
Take all the classes you are interested in. I’ve realised that every industry requires a varied range of skill sets. Even a farmer will require someone with business acumen to develop a business plan and someone with design skills to make their products look good online. So do something you enjoy, enter an industry you like and then find out how your skills can best fit that.
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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.
Taking the plunge
Some conquer on land, others underwater, for thrills and spills like no other. HEY! speaks to three athletes from NTU who are making waves here and abroad in less mainstream underwater sports
