Yik Jiawei

I am an accidental scholarship holder. I did not set out to be one. I applied to a double degree programme with an overseas element, because my friends were also applying for it. As I was not from a well-to-do family, scholarships were a potential source of funding for this programme. Ultimately, I received an offer from the PSC, and since it was the only scholarship offer on the table, I accepted it.  

I took up the scholarship with no pre-conceived notions of the career pathway that it held for me. It turns out that a career in public service resonates with me deeply, and I have been in service for more than 10 years and counting.

The scholarship enabled me to complete my double degree programme in NUS and Supelec, and gave me the opportunity to experience and appreciate a different culture and system of education. If it hadn’t been for the sponsorship it offered, I would have had to drop out of the programme, so in one sense, the impact of the scholarship was very real.  

But intellectually, I don’t think the scholarship changed how I engaged with my field of study, or outlook much. I enjoyed reading engineering; It was a field of study where rote learning was not necessary or desirable. The french study of engineering in particular prizes reasoning from first principles, which I have found to be helpful even in my work today.  

The developmental programmes that came with the PSC’s offer also gave me the opportunity to make new friends and glean broader perspectives of the Public Service and the collective work we do to benefit Singaporeans

I started out in the Ministry of Manpower, as part of the policy team that looked into improving our CPF system. I subsequently served in the Defence Policy Office in the Ministry of Defence, where I managed our defence relations with partners such as Australia, Thailand, and New Zealand. I later moved to the Land Transport Authority, where I was part of the team that launched the rail operator tender for the Thomson East Coast Line, negotiated the SG-KL High Speed Rail and SG-JB RTS-Link Bilateral Agreements, and implemented Accounts-Based Ticketing in our public transport network. Following this, I had a private sector secondment at SMRT, where I served as the Deputy Chief Maintenance Officer, working on improving and managing rail maintenance. Currently I serve as Director (Strategy & Planning) in the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore. 

Many of the projects I’ve had the opportunity to work on have been deeply meaningful. However, what I will always remember is the feeling of triumph when I managed to help an elderly gentleman appeal successfully on a CPF-related matter. I don’t remember the details of the case anymore but feelings I had, knowing that I helped to make a difference to his life, stayed with me. Over the years, I have of course learnt that not every attempt will end in success. But I tell myself that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity. What matters is being in the position to help others, to make a positive difference to their lives, and this is why I choose to stay in the Public Service.

There is a misconception that once you are a PSC scholarship holder, your path is firm and you are destined for success. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for hard work and being competent at your job.

Opportunity. Being in the Public Service, you have an opportunity, every day, to make Singapore better for your family, friends, and everyone else. 

It is really hard to decide whether to embark on a career in the Public Service, or any career for that matter, at a young age. My advice is to keep an open mind, and if you think that the values of the Service resonate with you, give it a shot. You may find that you like it, like me.