Secondary School Students Experience the Fun and Fulfilment of Tech Careers

By Wei Wah Lim, IT Director for Site Operations Asia, Microsoft

IT jobs are so boring. You have to be good in Maths and Science to be in the technology sector. These are some of the common misconceptions many students have about being an IT professional

As part of our initiative to cultivate young people’s passion for technology and correct some of their misconceptions, Microsoft Singapore collaborated with Bukit Panjang Government High School for a week-long job attachment programme in June. This was a good opportunity to showcase the wide range of tools and services that are available for students, whether it’s software for their learning purposes or technologies they would use in their future work. 

Bukit Panjang Government High School students with the Microsoft IT team. 

Eight students were paired with Microsoft professionals to get a glimpse of the daily work routines across different IT and business disciplines. The programme was designed to immerse the 15-year-old students in the dynamic work culture within Microsoft, as well as provide the opportunity to pick up new technology skills such as basic coding. 

We equipped each student with a laptop and a Surface RT tablet, to simulate the increasingly common mobile workstyle. What better way to give them a “sneak preview” of tomorrow’s working environment?   

The internship stint proved to be a highly memorable experience for Abdul Hakim, who gained a better understanding of how the latest software and devices enable individuals to work together as a team. “I now have a deeper appreciation of how technology can help empower people to connect and collaborate in many different ways.”

The students also participated in a simple coding project, in which they were challenged to create two game apps on the TouchDevelop platform, and then present them to a panel of judges. 

Charles Chuang, SMB Marketing Lead – Asia at Microsoft, sharing with the students about his own experience in Microsoft.  

“This internship was very insightful, and I am grateful for our mentors who have dedicated their time to show us how fulfilling a tech career can be,” said Tan Shu Han who was delighted to have learnt how to code within a week, and also picked up some tips on how to prepare herself for future job interviews.

“It has been a wonderful experience, and was probably the highlight of my holiday break!” added Aditi Raman.

I’ll second that the activities were equally rewarding for the Microsoft employees involved in this programme!