Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The MetroDBITan student series : Issue #018 - Tan Wei Xuan

Happy Chinese New Year, DBIT peeps! :)

I hope your CNY was a "angpowful" one and you had a good time catching up with your cousins and other relatives during this festive season?

Our poster boy for the latest issue of MetroDBITan was definitely kept busy through the last few days of the 2013 Lunar New Year period because not only had he to follow the traditional Chinese customary practice of visiting his relatives, he also had to study for his upcoming Social Media Marketing (SMM) test on this Friday (15 Feb 2013)!

Photo of Weixuan in his CNY outfit


Photo of Weixuan studying his SMM

But the mild-mannered boy takes all these in stride, and as many of his classmates will testify, no matter how heavy the workload is, Wei Xuan will always try his best to manage and complete each task satisfactorily to the best of his abilities.  In fact, he is often nominated to lead his assignment teams because he is well-known for his great sense of responsibility! :)

But the fact is, Weixuan is an IIS (Integrated Infocomm Scholarship) Scholar, and hence, I am not surprised that he has all these positive attributes.

Weixuan at the IIS Award Ceremony

I have just described him as if he has no faults huh? ;)

Well, no one is perfect, so let's find out from him if he has any weaknesses!

Wei Xuan, so what do you think are your strengths and weaknesses?

My strengths:

Dependable – I see myself as someone who is capable of being depended on. If I was being allocated a task or am consulted by anyone to perform a certain job, I will ensure that I will give it my all to get the job done.

Ambitious – Since young, I have always liked to think far. I will think about the schools/courses that I will like to enroll in when I grow up and the career that I will want. This sort of serves as a goal for me to work towards and it’s definitely easier to know the path that you should take when you have set a goal for yourself.

My weaknesses:

Procrastinator – I am sort of a procrastinator, but not to the extent that I will leave things to the last minute before getting it done. I will still give my self sufficient time to complete my work but the problem is that I will never start my once the moment it is being given.

Quiet – To be honest, I am an extremely quiet person and I don’t really talk much to people that I am not close with. I also have the tendency to keep things to myself.


Tell us more about your school days in primary school and secondary school

Primary School
My school days in Greenridge Primary School have definitely being a smooth one but I have to admit that I was constantly faced with the pressure to do well.

Soccer was one of my favorite sports back then and I also had a close group of friends whom I will play soccer with everyday during recess and after school.

I was in a CCA called Petanque (pronounced pay-tong).  The aim is to toss, or roll a number of hollow steel balls as close as possible to a small wooden target ball.  This CCA has allowed me to take part in a number of competitions but sadly, I was unable to win anything.

Pic from schoolbag.sg

Studying wasn’t really tedious for me back then and ironically, I really enjoyed the process. I was able to attain a score of 262 for my PSLE and went on to continue my secondary education in Nan Hua High School.


Secondary School
It has been a rough journey for me in Secondary school as I encountered many ups and downs along the way.  Things started to took a wrong turn for me in Secondary 3.

Because of peer pressure, I started to skip my co-curriculum activity(CCA) and I also slacked on my studies.  This caused my previous CCA records to be wiped out and I was only able to obtain a grade of C5 at the end of Secondary 4.

Fortunately, my teachers refused to give up hope on me and continuously put in efforts to change me back to how I was before things went wrong for me.

I broke away from the people who were influencing me in the wrong way and started to make amendments.

I really “woke up” when I received back my Prelim results.

I scored 36 points for my L1R5 and it was really a moment of truth for me. I knew that if I continued on like this, I will surely be unable to get into the course that I have always wanted after secondary school. I started putting in extra effort into my studies and it has certainly paid off as I was able to get a score of 8 for my L1R5 and was able to get into the course that I wanted.

Weixuan with his Secondary 4 classmates

Weixuan in his Nanhua uniform


Share some memorable moments of your teenage years

Well,  this didn’t really happen during my teenage years but it was the one of the most memorable moment that I could remember of. I think that the most memorable moment was that I was given the chance to take part in a the 2nd World Kuoshu all style martial arts championship in 2006. It was a worldwide competition which attracted competitors that came from various countries. I took part in the weapons category for the competition and I was able to clinched second place!

2nd World Kuoshu all style martial arts championship  medal

     
What made you apply for the IIS Scholarship?

I feel that the IIS scholarship is able to provide me with the skills and knowledge that I will need and ensure that it will be a smooth journey for me through my polytechnic days and these are probably the reasons to why I apply for it.  I also take this scholarship as a motivation for me to constantly do well in my studies.


Share your experience of how you got the IIS Scholarship (e.g. application process, interview process

I got to know of the IIS scholarship when I was reading through my course (DBIT)’s information in the SP website. I was really interested in the scholarship and went on to finding out the way to apply for it.

The application process was done entirely online and some of the questions that it asked were: “ What are the goals  that you have set for yourself?” , “ What are your career aspirations?” and “What are your life aspirations?”.

I spent quite an amount of time on my application form as I wanted it to stand out from the rest.

After being shortlisted, we were required to go through two separate interviews, one of which was a group-based and the other was an individual one.

The process was definitely a tedious one and I was sort of playing a “waiting game” throughout as I have to wait for their phone call to know if I have been shortlisted / been able to get through to the next round of interview/ been able to get the scholarship.

Although it was a tiring process, I will have to say that it was definitely a one that is worthwhile.


Why did you choose DBIT course?

I was interested in majoring in a field whereby I will be able to use IT to do business.  I also wanted a course which will allow me to learn how to use social media to do business.

Web design and client development was also something that I was hoping that the course will offer.

After surveying through the various IT-related courses that are available in the different polytechnics, I realized that Diploma in Business Information Technology was the right course for me. The course focused on e-commerce and social media marketing, an aspect of the career that I aspire to pursue in the future.

Share your likes and dislikes (hobbies, your fav movies, music, food etc)


Badminton has always been my favorite sport/hobby since young and I will usually play with my father/brother at a badminton court near my house. However, due to the workload and time constraint during my secondary school days, I stop playing for quite a while. However, I have recently started playing the sport again and I really hope that I will be able to keep on playing the sport!

My favorite food are Korean BBQ chicken and bibimbap.


What is your ambition in life?

I aspire to work as a Business IT consultant in a multinational company (MNC) such as Google or Ernst & Young.

I believe that with the global information technology(IT) facilities being widely available in the MNC, I will be able to broaden my knowledge towards the IT field and constantly upgrade myself..

Also, being a Business IT consultant will allow me to make use of my knowledge in IT to do business. Likewise, I will also be able to use my knowledge in business to integrate IT into Singapore society as well as help to raise awareness of a certain campaign using IT.

Also, by the time that I have enough capital to start my own business, I plan to set up a web solutions company on my own.

I feel that an unwavering interest and passion in the IT-related field is the most important requirement to develop such a career in the future. Also, having a high level of education and recognition in the IT-related field will also allow me to jump start my career. In order to develop such a career, I also plan to upgrade myself constantly and always be open towards gaining new knowledge about the latest trends and technologies.

Some of Weixuan's assignments 

Java Programming Assignment

Prototype of the product that his group came up with
for the modules iDiscover & Team Communication Skills

Slides that his group came up with
for the module iDiscover

Other pictures of Weixuan

Weixuan and his good friends

Weixuan and his family

Weixuan in a slightly messier haircut :p


Sunday, February 10, 2013

Issue #017 MetroDBITan - launch on Wed 13 Feb 2013...

Bringing you issue #018 of MetroDBITan on 初四 of this year's Lunar New Year!




Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Diploma in Business IT students’ first bonding and networking session of 2013!

Every year of this period is invariably a very stressful time for our students.

It is a time when they have to juggle multiple assignment submission deadlines and study for their tests and exams. It is not uncommon to see students huddled over their laptops to finish their work at 9 pm in the campus.

Image from here

While it is commendable for students to work hard in their studies, all work and no play is unhealthy as well!

With the help of a group of helpful Diploma in Business IT (DBIT) Year 2 students, we decided to hold a little event for our Year 1s and Year 2s to give them a chance to take a break.

More importantly, we wanted it to be a fruitful session where the two different cohorts could mix together and make new friends with each other!  Networking is an important habit that DBIT students should acquire and develop to aid in the success of their future careers.


Poster of the event created by our DBIT Y1 student, Benedict


To add further highlights to this event, we were so fortunate that two of our Alumni agreed to attend this session and share their experiences with their juniors!   Thank you so much Angie and Suresh for taking time off from your work and studies to grace this event!




The programme was a packed one.

First, the students were introduced to the DBIT Course Management Team (CMT) and the two Year 2 leaders, Dewei and Kenneth who chaired the organising committee of the event.

Dewei

Kenneth


After that, they were ushered by their GLs (Group Leaders) to play two bonding games.

Playing the “Challenge Me” bonding game in T1752

Playing the "Pass the Drink" game in T1753

One of the games got them very wet!  "Pass the drink" is the name of this particular game and basically, the students stand in a row and try to pour a cup of water over their heads to the cups of the people behind them without turning around.

DBIT Year 2 student Xinman's hair is all soaked!

After the games, the students went back to the lecture theatre where our Alumni guests had arrived and were ready to start the sharing session.
Angie and Suresh sharing their experiences with their juniors

The sharing session was conducted in a moderated question-and-answer style, where we posed a question to each Alumni, and they would take turns to give their replies.

Some of the questions that were asked during this session include:
  1. What is the GPA you must get to enter NTU or NUS?
  2. How is the transition from polytechnic to university like?
  3. What are some of the happy memories you had when you were at SP?

Angie who graduated in 2009 and went on to do a business degree in Nanyang Technological University (NTU) gave several candid answers and helpful tips to her juniors.

She shared how she struggled with certain modules in university because she did not have such a good foundation of Mathematics compared to her junior college peers who were experts in using statistical calculators which she had no experience in.

She advised them to try to get a headstart in learning to use such calculators as it would speed up their efficiency in completing assignments or test questions  if they are familiar with these devices.



Suresh, our graduate from the 2010 cohort had started his own business while studying in polytechnic, with the help of the $50,000 pitching funds from SPRING Singapore.

He recalled the stressful period while he had to juggle the management of his start-up while doing his Final Year Project with Tiger Airways.

Still, Suresh managed to graduate with a GPA of 3.8 and secured a place in National University of Singapore, reading a business degree as well.


Suresh advised his juniors, especially the males, that during their National Service period, they should use the time to do something useful.  For example, he mentioned how they can try to improve their Mathematics or to pick up a driving licence.


Students had to guess the names of their seniors / juniors whose photos were flashed on the projector screen

After the sharing session, the students had another session of fun and bonding with our "Guess the Photo" session.

We showed them photos of the students who had attended the event, and while some of these photos were familiar to them, most were not.  For those who recognised the photos, they had to run up to the podium and inform the Game Masters of the  names of the students in the photos.  If they guessed the names correctly, they would earn points for their team and if they did not, they got points deducted instead! It was quite an exciting twenty minutes or so of time for them!

One of the Year 1 student, Mao Sheng who came up to the stage to guess his senior's name

After the short guessing game, the points of the eight teams were tallied and we determined the winners.  The top team walked away with Popular vouchers for each team member and we did not miss the opportunity to take group photos for each of them of course!

Team 5 and their GL: Zhong Meng


Team 7 and their GL, Melvin


Team 8 and their GL, Yihan




Team 4 and their GLs: Chester and Alivia


Team 6 and their GLs, Daryl and Fiona


Third prize winners!
Team 2 and their GL: Jean Long

Second prize winners!
Team 1and their GLs: Hui Yee and Urth



The champions of the day.
Team 3 and their GLs: Richmond and Lorena


With the kind support of Alumni Relations Office (ARO), we also managed to provide a dinner reception for the students and our guests after the event.  Some of the delicious food on the menu include pineapple rice, sweet and sour fish, chicken wings which were eagerly savoured by the participants after their pretty physically draining activities a while ago!


Year 1 students sitting on the floor enjoying the dinner


One Year 1 student managed to catch his senior for a quick chat during the dinner reception



A snapshot of one of the delicious food items provided at the dinner


Overall, this event was very successful.

We had more than a hundred participants and upon chatting with some of the Year 1s, they expressed satisfaction that they had joined in the session and mentioned that it was 'fun'!

We were glad the students enjoyed and benefitted from the event, and we do hope that we can conduct more of such sessions in future.

PS: More photos of the entire event will be uploaded to the DBIT Facebook Page by next week! Look out for them!