Finding meaningful work after retirement

Joining the sunshine industry

 

Being a legal secretariat for 35 years, 74-year-old Mr Chan Seng Wee was thinking of what to do next after his retirement. All these years, Mr Chan was a hard worker and could not imagine himself staying at home all day. Luckily for Mr Chan, he found the solution after attending a talk – to join the sunshine industry, the social sector.

 

He first started in the social sector by working as a Care Coordinator in AMKFSC Community Services. As a result, his passion for the social sector grew and he proceeded to study a WSQ Diploma in Social Service (Senior Sector). Thereafter, he moved on to work for Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities for five years, and had helped out with their pilot programme to set up senior care centres in Singapore.

 

Today, Mr Chan still actively seeks out opportunities to lead an active third age.

 

Keeping up with the digital trends

 

Mr Chan wouldn’t call himself a tech-savvy person. In fact, he had only started to learn the computer as his previous jobs had required him to do so. Despite so, Mr Chan thought that it was important for him to keep up with the digital trends after reading up on the news.

 

"Digital trends such as cashless e-transactions and banking applications will become the mainstream in Singapore sooner or later, and I realised that I had to prepare myself," Mr Chan explained.

 

With this reason in mind, Mr Chan did his research and found out about the National Silver Academy. He then proceeded to sign up for an NSA course SkillsFuture for Digital Community by RSVP Singapore. After exposing himself to various topics such as e-payment, surfing the internet and staying safe online, Mr Chan feels more confident today to navigate the digital world and embrace the Smart Nation.

 

Stimulating the brain

 

Besides the digital course, Mr Chan has recently signed up for another NSA course Basic Psychology by Family Central. Since working in the social sector, Mr Chan is keen to delve further into the study of cognitive science and dementia. He looks forward to using the skills learnt from the course and applying the Cognitive Behavioural Approach to his daily life and his social work. Other than applying for this course, he also regularly attends conferences and talks to have a broader learning experience. He also took part in a Intergenerational Learning Programme (ILP) My Digital Album where he was paired with a student to learn digital tips and tricks to curate a digital album. The learning experience was an eye-opener for Mr Chan, who got to exchange experiences and bond with the student.

 

In the near future, Mr Chan is keen to take up a course related to counselling.

 

"It is important to keep our brain stimulated, especially for seniors like us. Learning is a good way to do so," Mr Chan said.

 

Mr Chan was glad to see there is a wide range of NSA courses which cater to the different interests. Being an active learner today, he has found courses that roused his interest and had made his life more interesting.

 

**Special thanks to Mr Chan Seng Wee who accepted our interview, we wish him all the very best in his lifelong learning journey.

 

For a full list of short courses, click here.

 

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For a list of ad hoc learning opportunities, click here.