Hi, I'm Smith and I'm a career guide.
After watching 10936501293 America movies and dramas where I always thought I would end up in one of those AA session with some other alcoholics or something and meet Jessica Jones. Lucky for me and my mum, my life didn't turn out the way I thought it might. In fact instead of being caught in the downward spiral of being an alcoholic, I am actually part of a Youth Career Network (YCN) where I give back a little.
Yes, I'm a career guide.
They also make me take nice nice professional photo for portfolio. Me being me didn't wear a suit for it. #SmithStyle
Not to get confused with career coach, a career guide is something voluntary unlike career coach which is a job/career itself.
How did I end up here?
If you have been following my blog or my Instagram, you will see that I attend quite a bit of networking sessions and events organized by NTUC Youth Career Network. That was the very first time I came across this program and got interested.
In fact, if you have a good memory, you will remember me talking about this program and my secondary school friend – Rondy who is also part of this network.
I got really interested after learning about this during the event. And I stood up (actually clicked the link) and volunteered myself when I saw a Facebook post that they were recruiting new career guides.
What do I actually do?
It's not like I am Jack Ma or Bill Gates that I've an amazing career to share. In fact, that is the reason why they need people like me to be part of this program. The truth is that not everyone is and/or going to become the next Jack Ma but everyone have their own interesting career path and experience to share.
So primarily our role is to attend different networking sessions and share about our experience in a small group setting. If any of those "many" are interested in knowing you better or embark on a journey with you as your mentee, they will be paired and attached to you. It is kinda like tinder but less the romance and "xiao long bao eating" if you get what I mean.
Not to be mistaken with internship or offering them a job in my company, career guides just basically give them advise on their potential career choices and also give them more insights about certain career. For example how I will always scare the potential mentees with the fact that being part of advertising agency just means that sleeping is secondary and in fact sometimes optional. A real Ad (wo)man needs no sleep.
Not trying to be "Old Wong" selling my own melon (that sounded wrong) but the truth about career guides is that the experience they have are really something that assist young people with their career choice. I mean there are a lot of self help books or articles about very successful people but truth is not everyone of us are going to be very successful. It's good to listen to experience from people closer to heart and more realistic isn't it? The truth might hurt but sometimes it's really what we need. And if you are interested to find out more about this, continue reading OR you can simply scroll ALLLLLL the way down to the end of the article where I will provide more information.
So basically you just attend events and haolian about your achievement lah?
I mean that's one of the many ways to look at it but I choose to look at it that we are giving back. Think about it, how many times can a person change his/her industry in a life time? Wouldn't you wished that someone gave you some insights about an industry before you jump all into it and regret?
In fact, it's a very good learning opportunity for not just the mentees but also for mentors like myself. You know what they say about you learning more when you are teaching? That's pretty much how I feel about this program. Sometimes the mentees just ask the most interesting questions that put you thinking.
I didn't exactly have the smoothest career path considering that I graduated with an Engineering Diploma but decided that events, marketing, advertising, media, and writing is probably a better career path for me. I basically had to start all over again and get myself a marketing degree mid career which wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do.
If all I've to do is to give up a few hours of my time every week/month and I can actually make a difference in someone's life, why not?
Who are these mentees?
They can be people from all walks of life. Starting from polytechnic students who has no working experience all the way to people who are in their first career and interested in a career change.
And yes, you can be one of them too if you happen to be a young person (or similar) who is feeling lost in their career. Or life. Or both. Or you are just looking for someone to affirm you decisions. You don't really have to be that lost.
So what do you get out of it?
Satisfaction? I mean that is if you are like me who is a person who believes greatly in nurturing. Like I've mentioned more than once, I believe that education would probably be my final career path when everything I've ever wanted to do is done. I mean I've always enjoy handling like interns, my young crews, and even the youngsters from my basketball team. I guess it's a calling for me. Or maybe I just like to talk and talk.
Besides that, you will also get access to the vast network of NTUC where you get to rub shoulders with other career guides during events as well as meeting even more experience working professionals like Mr Abraham Thomas, Managing Director, IBM Singapore himself who was present at the recent event – LIT Xchange.
And of course if your line of work always require young people like mine, you never know when you will actually meet your next creative executive who might help you ace your next campaign.
LIT Xchange?
So besides career mentorship program where you are needed to talk and talk right, they will also organized events where you get to learn as well. You know the Chinese saying about 1 mountain still got 1 mountain higher right? So there will be events such as learning journey where you get access to some of the bigger companies in Singapore such as Microsoft, Grab, or IBM to see the behind the scene stuff. I'm a very curious person so this is totally up my alley.
Besides such learning journeys, NTUC YCN will also organize events of different scales once in awhile and invite special speakers to share as well as to network. From the smaller scales ones where it can be courses of any kind to equip you with more skills to aid you with being a menthor, to the bigger scale kinda event like LIT Xchange. During the event and we were all very lucky as we have 3 very experienced speakers to share with us a little more about their companies, the industry, and some of the challenges they face every now and then.
The 3 speakers were Mr Abraham Thomas whom I've already mentioned earlier, as well as Mr. Oliver Tan, CEO and Co-Founder of artificial intelligence company, ViSenze and Ms. Anouk De Blieck, Senior Vice President, Head of Human Resources, Asia Pacific, Visa Inc. You know these people are very important people when their titles are so long right. #Sizedoesmatters.
Besides the guest speakers, there was also a networking session (Career guides will be present to answer the questions of participants). The whole idea of Lit Xchange is to broaden youths’ horizons with global perspectives and connect them to a vast network of industry professionals who can provide career insights and advice. And yup, this was the session that I felt kinda like those guys doing sales at departmental store where I just stand and talk non-stop about my product. The event attracted over almost 600 participants including both career guides and potential mentees.
Information Time!
This might sound interesting but yet the information are all over the place because you know, I like to talk and share my experience. But if you are the kind of person who just needs information, here are some of the important information that might just change your life.
How to be a career guide with Young NTUC Youth Career Network?
HERE: If you have at least 5 years of working experience in your industry/field and is able to commit your time to mentor younger peers, sign up at www.yntuc.sg/careerguides!
P.S. You will need to go through interviews before becoming a guide.
How to be part of the program aka join as mentee?
You can sign-up as an individual!
HERE: Here’s 3 websites you can check out if you are looking for any career programmes:
From now till 1st August 2018, follow www.lit.sg for upcoming mentorship, discovery and learning journeys offered under Young NTUC LIT series, in support of SkillsFuture Festival 2018.
There’s a mentorship session coming up on 25th July, 7pm – 9.30pm!
You can also check out www.yntuc.sg for more information!
If you are looking for career programmes to attend near your home, we are coming to Chua Chu Kang and West Coast area! Find out more on the lineup of mentorship and discovery sessions at www.todotodo.sg
