1. Instead of picking finance like his peers,
Aaron Teoh chose to go with his gut instinct
and became a data scientist
Written by Oo Gin Lee
Advertising Feature
SWITCH
SUCCESS
aron Teoh always thought he would be
destined for a career in finance. He loved
problem-solving, had a knack for
mathematics and was already in his
final year studying accountancy and
business at the Nanyang Technological University.
One month before the completion of his degree,
he received a flyer from his university’s career
office in April 2015 which led him to charting his
course in a different direction.
The flyer advertised the IDA-Google Squared Data
& Analytics Programme, an eight-month intensive
course under IDA’s Company-Led Training (CLT)
Programme to help early career professionals get
up to speed in data analytics.
Co-funded by the Infocomm Development
Authority (IDA), it is just one of many programmes
under the IDA’s Company-Led Training (CLT)
scheme, a government initiative to help the
industry in recruiting, mentoring and training
entrant infocomm professionals in fast-growing
technologies such as data analytics and mobile
applications.
Drawn by the IDA-Google partnership and
branding, Mr Teoh felt that it was a fantastic
opportunity for him to get a head start in one of
the most talked-about professions in the digital
age. Not only did he get two-months of sponsored
training under the Google-endorsed curriculum,
he was paid a full salary during his six-month
internship with Singapore-based travel website
Wego.com.
“I knew it was a risk to switch, but it was also an
opportunity of a lifetime,”said Mr Teoh. So he took
a calculated risk and set his sails on his new
destination.
Life as a data scientist
One year later, Mr Teoh is now one of five data
scientists at Wego. Together, they analyse and
make sense of the huge amounts of raw data
processed at the travel website daily to discover
insights that can help the company improve their
online business.
“For example, we spot patterns in the way people
search for a hotel on our website and try to
understand the intention of each search and
mouse click. We try to order the results in the best
way so that the user has stronger leads and find
what they are looking for with the eventual aim of
getting them to complete a booking.”
He also optimises search results to improve
click-through rates to partner websites. Satisfied
customers will also return to the site for further
searches and bookings.
Apart from analysing data for better business
results, Mr Teoh also works with product division
colleagues to build new products. One of them is
facilitated bookings.
“Now, users can search and compare prices, book
and track their bookings from different travel sites
all in one place — their Wego account — whether
on our website or via an app,”added Mr Teoh.
Every day is a different adventure
He likes the unexpected in his job.
“It’s challenging to go to work not
doing the same thing on most
days — I face different problems
every day. But that adds an
element of excitement and gives
me something to look forward to.”
Mr Teoh adds that he is has no regrets taking his
career detour.
“The Google branding, the networking from the
programme, and support from IDA helped me to
gain an entry in data analytics. Without the CLT
programme, I wouldn’t even have been
pre-qualified for this work,”says Mr Teoh.
His takeaway to those considering a switch to the
infocomm sector:“Don’t be intimidated just
because you are not from the sector. You may not
know much at first about things such as coding,
but there are important skills that you can bring to
the table such as problem-solving and business
acumen.”
Government to spend $120 million
over three years to boost
infocomm manpower
Today, we have a workforce of over 172,000
tech professionals working across various
sectors. Based on the findings of the 2015
Infocomm Manpower Survey, there are more
than 20,000 jobs to be filled, but there is a
shortage in skilled manpower to meet this
demand.
To help Singaporeans take advantage of the
opportunities ahead, the Government
announced in April it is investing $120 million
over the next three years in its new TechSkills
Accelerator (TeSA) programme to boost the
infocomm skills of both ICT-trained and
non-ICT-trained professionals. There are three
key initiatives under the aegis of TeSA
Company-Led Training (CLT)
What it is: A structured training programme
that lasts up to 12 months and is targeted at
fresh and mid-level infocomm professionals as
well as those from the Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM) disciplines.
Who runs it: Industry partners that join up the
CLT programme.
Tech Immersion and Placement (TIP)
What it is: Intensive courses and boot camps
to help fresh graduates and mid-career
switchers without an infocomm background to
build the portfolio and skills needed to help the
candidates make the switch to an infocomm
job. Candidates who come from a STEM
discipline is preferred. It is also open to existing
infocomm professionals who want to upgrade
their skills for new tech positions.
Who runs it: General Assembly. More training
providers will be coming on board in the near
future.
Critical Infocomm Technology Resource
Programme (CITREP+)
What it is: Short pre-approved continuing
education courses and certification programs
for working infocomm professionals with a
focus on certifications that are high in demand.
Students from ITE colleges, polytechnics and
universities, as well as full-time national
servicemen are also eligible to apply for
CITREP+ funding.
Who runs it: Over 113 approved certification
courses by various training.