NUS Geography Career Day
19 February
The inaugural NUS Geography Career Day was held on 20 February 2025. During this key student outreach event in NUS Geography’s calendar, eight alumni returned to the department to share their experiences of navigating the job market as recent graduates.
The invited guests were: Mr Roy Yuen (Arts & Social Sciences '15), Head of Capacity Building, Singapore Land Authority; Mr Navin Wadhwani (Arts & Social Sciences '16), Executive Planner, Urban Redevelopment Authority; Ms Rachel Koh (Arts & Social Sciences '19), Impact Portfolio Manager, Climate Impact X; Mr Ken Tan (Arts & Social Sciences '21), Transport Planner, Land Transport Authority; Mr Ng Yan Shen (Arts & Social Sciences '21), Manager – Retail Planning, Singtel; Ms Pearlyn Lee (Arts & Social Sciences' 22), Energy Sourcing Specialist, Equinix; Ms Shermaine Sim (Arts & Social Sciences '22), Placemaking Executive, Singapore River One; and Ms Jordyn Ng (Arts & Scoial Sciences '23), Regional Operations Associate, Shopee.
There were two panel discussions, followed by a human library style interaction session. Drawing on experiences spanning the public, non-profit and private sectors, the alumni shared the value of being open to career changes, stereotypes around each of the sectors, the importance of developing soft skills, and how a degree in geography has enabled them to synthesise different types of knowledge.
Students who attended the events raised questions on how geography has helped alumni to respond to the increased emphasis on sustainability in a variety of sectors, and how to navigate challenging workplace relations. The event was attended by 87 undergraduates and 97 junior college students from 11 schools.
Each year since the late 1990s, NUS Geography has invited outstanding alumni to share their experiences with current students. According to Ms Shermaine Sim, “It was great to be back in NUS. I enjoyed interacting with the students, hearing about their concerns and what they like about Geography. I hope they find assurance in knowing that a Geography degree can take them anywhere”.
The inaugural NUS Geography Career Day was particularly notable as Ms Melody Ng, a third-year geography major commented, “The Career Day was a great opportunity to learn more about our alumni's industries and job scopes, while gaining valuable insights into potential career paths after graduation. The networking session was very impactful for me because I learnt how to ace interviews, even without prior experience in a field. Jordyn, an alumnus I chatted with, shared lots of helpful tips with me using her past experiences”.
We thank our alumni for being so generous with their time and for supporting this event. Many thanks to the Majors Welfare Committee of the NUS Geographical Society for their crucial role in organising the highly successful event.
- Faculty - Arts & Social Sciences