“It was unbelievable, joyful and memorable – one which I can’t forget, seeing my son following my footsteps,” exclaimed Abdul Halim, a PSB Academy alumnus and a Senior Staff Engineer in a manufacturing company. He was delighted to witness his son, Amir Rusyaidi, complete his studies in the same school 15 years after him.
When asked what motivated him to pursue a higher education at PSB Academy in 2005, Halim recounted, “I wanted to upgrade my skills so that I can use them in my work, and also improve my communication skills with my customers and suppliers.” He chose PSB Academy because he felt that the Diploma in Industrial Engineering synergised best with his job scope and work.
The flexible class schedules have helped Halim to juggle family, work and studies. “I was taking the part-time course about two days a week, and the class started from 7 pm to 10 pm. At that time, PSB Academy was located at Toa Payoh, and it was convenient for me as my work ended at 5.30 pm. It didn’t pose much issue to my family life, and I was given good support from my wife.” explained Halim. While he sometimes did have to wake up and feed his crying son in the wee hours of the morning, he felt very blessed to have a wife who understands that he needed to upgrade himself in order to have a better future for the family.
One fond memory that Halim had of his time studying at PSB Academy was how one of the lecturers gave him real-life examples from his own work experience in the manufacturing industry, which resonated with him very much. The lecturer also made the class very lively with stories and anecdotes, making him look forward to going for the lessons every day. He recalled, “The lecturer asked us to perform a group discussion and brainstorm the issues we face in our daily work and share our ideas on how to resolve them. It was really a good learning curve.”
Halim is grateful that some of the technical and soft skills that he had learnt from PSB Academy are still relevant to him today. These skills include using the Gantt Chart to report the schedule of the process timeline with customers and tracking it closely. “Another useful skill is learning the Pareto Diagram. It helps me to determine what are the 20% of the major causes or defects that will resolve 80% of the consequences or problems,” he disclosed.
Halim always advises his son to study hard and do his best to achieve his goals. Amir chose to study in PSB Academy to pursue his dream to become an entrepreneur. Amir said, “I chose PSB Academy because I could spread my talent to different workplaces and be close to people who know how a business person should become.”
“My father asked me to make friends because I have difficulty in communicating with new people around me, as I am a shy person and scared to speak up for myself,” Amir added. All has gone very well though, as Amir has gained some extremely valuable skills from PSB Academy that will stay with him for a lifetime. He said, “The skills I gained from PSB Academy that are still relevant today include those related to Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, and even Accounting and Banking.”
Happily, Halim’s dream for his son has come to fruition, as Amir will be graduating in August 2021 with a Diploma in Business Administration. Halim said, “I hope that he will get the job that he is looking for, and as a father, I will give him the support that he needs.” His advice for Amir is what every father wishes for his child: “Although a father has to juggle multiple roles with study and family life daily, but if you want to achieve something in life, please do it all the way instead of giving up halfway through. Always make it happen!”
This inspiring story of Halim and Amir is one of many families who have benefitted from studying in PSB Academy. Since 1964, PSB Academy has inspired and empowered generations, and brought together over 200,000 learners through a common passion to grow. If you are interested to discover myriad options among our diploma, degree, postgraduate as well as short professional courses, learn more here.
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