How 3WO Lee Overcame the Odds and Was Rewarded a Fulfilling Career
For 3WO Lee Jia Yan, coming from a less well-to-do family did not stop her from pursuing her goals. It led her to a career that helped her fulfill her academic dreams and desire to travel the world; and enabled her to interact with people from all walks of life.
However, it wasn’t an easy start. During her time at school, it was especially difficult to focus on her studies as 3WO Lee held a part-time job as a waitress. She recollected: "My father was the sole breadwinner for the family. When I was old enough, I worked part-time to help alleviate my father’s financial burdens." Through hard work, sheer determination and discipline, 3WO Lee struck a balance between school and work. Whenever she had time to spare, she also sought to improve her linguistic skills by reading English newspapers and books. 3WO Lee excelled in ITE and went on to pursue a Diploma in Information Technology with Singapore Polytechnic.
A close friend in the polytechnic knew about her family's financial situation and encouraged 3WO Lee to consider seeking support through an academic sponsorship. Despite her anxieties and concerns about not being able to meet with the standard requirements of a sponsorship, she persevered and pursued this opportunity.
When 3WO Lee visited a Singapore Army roadshow held in her school, she learnt more about the various career prospects and unique opportunities offered by the Singapore Army. With the added knowledge of the educational sponsorship schemes, she was more comfortable to apply for it; embarking on a one-of-a-kind profession. It was through the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Polytechnic Sponsorship, 3WO Lee's school fees were taken care of.
Upon completing her diploma, 3WO Lee enlisted with the Army where she served various appointments over a period of ten years. Currently a 3rd Warrant Officer, she candidly shared, "I'm not quite sure where I'll be if I didn't join the Army; perhaps I'd be job hopping in search of new and exciting experiences? But what I do know is that I would not be here today if not for my friend’s advice to apply for the SAF Polytechnic Scholarship. I'm now physically and mentally stronger, and I'm armed with good leadership skills and more resilient than ever!"
After working for eight years, becoming a platoon sergeant in an Operational Unit, going through a variety of vigorous vocational trainings and completing the arduous Combat Skills Badge course; 3WO Lee got bitten by the study bug again. This time, she took up the opportunity to do a part-time degree in Human Resource Management with UniSIM. With the privilege of the CLASS Degree Framework and the Continual Education path, she was fully sponsored for her tuition, examination and textbook fees.
On juggling between work and school, the bubbly Singapore Combat Engineer Trainer said that, "I have inspirational bosses! Not only did they motivate me to pursue my studies but have also allowed me the flexibility to organise and prioritise my time for studies. Atop of the sponsorship fees, I"m given a 12-day annual study leave - which is extremely helpful."
But it is easier said than done. 3WO Lee dedicates much of her evenings attending night classes and weekends in completing her assignments, while her peers are out and about catching up with family and friends. The Trainer for Engineer Training Institute remains optimistic and embraces the fact that she can be exposed to various human resource management systems adopted by other organisations, so that she can value-add to her department.
Beyond the academics advances the Singapore Army that 3WO Lee has benefited from, she is also thankful for being able to travel to countries like Australia, Germany, India and the US during overseas exercises. "I would have to say that the most interesting and memorable exercise was held in India." explained 3WO Lee enthusiastically. She went on to share how appreciative she was to visit the Taj Mahal as part of the educational tour after the training exercise.
As part of her work, 3WO Lee has the opportunity to interact with and influence people of all ages ranging from 18 to 50 years old. She recounted several times where she felt a great sense of achievement for successfully changing the perspectives of young men serving National Service and encouraging her older colleagues to view situations from a broader perspective.
"At the end of day, I'm so glad that I took the step to learn more about the Singapore Army. If I hadn't, I’m quite sure that I would not be as happy and fulfilled in my career as I am today!"