She gets a degree - and a promotion
SHE would spend her mornings at a quiet spot near her workplace - studying.
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| Ms Delcie Cheong is now assistant manager at the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of the National University Heart Centre. |
In the afternoons, she would switch to work mode when she steps into the National University Hospital (NUH).
That was how SIM Global Education (SIM GE) graduate Delcie Cheong, 41, divided her day whenever exams approached.
Being able to juggle studies and work was crucial to the part-time student's pursuit of a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Management from the University of Manchester, a course offered at SIM GE.
Luckily for her, both her boss and her husband were supportive.
Ms Cheong graduated this year and her hard work has paid off.
The former executive secretary secured a promotion to become the assistant manager in the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of the National University Heart Centre, Singapore, which is located in NUH.
She said the position had opened up before she completed her degree, but she decided to 'be bold' and applied for it.
Her boss, Professor Lee Chuen Neng, 57, who is head of the department, said the promotion was 'contingent upon her getting a degree'.
He was the one who urged Ms Cheong to go back to school as she struck him as being 'extremely efficient and smart'.
He noted: 'Many people did not have the chance to further their studies when they were young.
'Sometimes it was because of family circumstances, other times because they were late bloomers.'
Ms Cheong said that as a teen, she chose to work instead of pursuing her studies because of 'financial reasons'.
Her studies at SIM GE were funded by the hospital. In return, she has to serve a one-year bond upon graduation.
Prof Lee said: 'We encourage our staff to upgrade themselves continuously as they will perform better at their job and this will benefit the whole organisation, which in turn will benefit our patients.'
The modular structure of the SIM-Manchester programme, where students focus on one course at a time, suits working adults well.
Exams are held on Saturdays, while weekday classes are from 7pm to 10pm.
Ms Cheong said she was grateful for the patience and insight shown by the overseas lecturers as well as the local tutors.
She has since applied what she learnt from her course at work.
She said her finance modules have helped her with the annual budgeting.
Her human resources modules have come in handy as she manages a team of eight administrative staff, eight heartline machine specialists and more than 25 doctors.
'I've learnt how to manage people from different cultures,' she said, noting that the department hosts visiting fellows from many countries, like Japan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Armenia.
But Ms Cheong said she could not have done it without her husband, who drove her home after every class and provided emotional support throughout.
With a smile, she noted that going back to school also meant she could 'set a good example' for her daughter, 14, and son, 10.
1ST-CLASS HONOURS
Family support was important to Mr Kirby Chua Han Ping, 26, as well. He belonged to the pioneer batch of SIM-Manchester students who graduated last year.
The first-class honours graduate said his family had encouraged him 'each and every step of the way.'
The former Temasek Polytechnic student, who graduated in the top 10 per cent of his cohort, could have enrolled in any of the local universities.
He said he was attracted to the programme because of the repute of SIM and the University of Manchester.
The Manchester Business School was ranked in the top 15 in The Financial Times' 2009 Top European Schools poll.
Mr Chua said: 'Having the opportunity to enrol in the course without having to travel to the UK spurred my decision.'
However, Mr Chua admitted that there were sacrifices, like giving up leisure time during the weekends to focus on studying.
Now a settlements officer at KBC Bank NV, he said: 'My degree helped me to secure my current job.
'I was also given the opportunity to work in the settlements department even though I'd no prior relevant experience.'
Mr Chua said certain course topics, like financial markets, helped him at work as it touched on financial derivatives products.
His job involves providing back-office support for money market, foreign exchange and derivatives transactions.
Thanks to his degree, his career has a major boost.
Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,201239,00.html?
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