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As an undergraduate in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), I was often asked, “Are you going to be a Chinese teacher when you graduate?” Indeed, this is the most common misconception people generally have for graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese. However, I must admit, the knowledge I acquired after graduating in 2015 was irrelevant to my current role at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), apart from being able to converse fluently in Mandarin. I joined SUSS as an administrative staff in 2017. On top of handling day-to-day paperwork, I also have to interact with people of various profiles. This requires good communication and interpersonal skills, which I picked up along the way in my first few years. As time passed, I began to ponder over some of the decisions or requests made by my supervisors and management. For example, part of my role entails event planning at both university and school level. I used to wonder why we needed to host events and conduct post-event meetings. Despite the hard work, there would always be some unpleasant feedback, which was demoralising.  Also, some meetings would take a few hours. I dreaded attending them, as I felt that they were time-consuming and unproductive. During an appraisal in end-2020, my then-supervisor encouraged me to take on new skills in leadership and people management. I chanced upon NTU’s FlexiMasters in general management online and decided to take a leap of faith and embark on my learning journey in February 2021. The FlexiMasters (then known as MiniMasters) offers working adults the flexibility of taking standalone courses without having to commit to a postgraduate programme. Course credits from completed modules can be transferred into a relevant Master’s programme within five years. Returning to school after five years in the workforce was not easy. We were required to attend seminars (almost) every weekend, and complete individual and group assignments. My cohort was made up of a bunch of fresh graduates and some with years of working experience. On the surface, it seemed like an awkward mix of profiles. Surprisingly, we got along well. The fresh graduates introduced many innovative ways of doing things, whereas the working adults shared their industry experience. Unfortunately, time was not on our side when it came to assignments. We had different work schedules, so we created online documents so that everyone could work on them during our “free” time. Once, we even did a dry run via Zoom at 9pm for a group presentation at 9am the next day, as it was the only time everyone was available. Despite all the difficulties, we “survived” and graduated with MiniMasters certificates in mid-June 2021. The knowledge I gained has helped to broaden my horizons, and I started to see light in some of the decisions made by my supervisors. Remember the post-event meetings that I disliked? Now, I realise that they are a platform for us to review an event more comprehensively. I now see the need for organising such events, and I am able to plan events that can meet our school’s needs, while incorporating feedback from past ones. I also learnt to apply people management skills when planning manpower, for example by appointing colleagues with outgoing personalities to be hosts or emcees. I am thankful to have understanding and supportive family members and colleagues who helped make life easier. As my department welcomes more new (and young) colleagues, I thought, “Hey, this might be a good opportunity to pick up mentoring skills”. If things go well, I plan to do a specialist diploma in coaching and mentoring this year. For those who wish to upgrade their skills, you are never too old to learn, so don’t be afraid to try. Second, plan your time well. Time management is an important skill that can be used in many aspects of life. Last, don’t be too hard on yourself, and enjoy the process of learning. ABOUT THE WRITER: Ms Choi Bao Yi, 32, is a senior executive at SUSS’ School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences. She is also a coffee lover and her usual order is or oat milk cappuccino.