Dancing with myself
The dancing puppets hanging from the ceiling of Masala Zone near Covent Garden. The food was average although the kulfi was divine. It was almost like eating liquidified creamy mango.
It had to happen. Soon after News of the World broke the story of how math prodigy Sufiah Yusof has turned to prostitution, there was the inevitable tear-jerking, Channel 8’esque reporting from Malaysia. Just why Malaysia is so upset by Sufiah’s fall from grace, or why they were so proud of her exploits in the first place, is beyond me since her only connection to Malaysia was that her mother was born in Johor. Anyway, GG showed me this latest distinctly Malaysian twist to this story. These must be the same people who believe Mas Selamat used black magic in his escape.
Coincidentally, I recently met a few Malaysian professionals who are working in the UK. One thought Abu Dhabi is in Africa. The other had never heard of Greenwich.
The Straits Times carried a report about the difficulties of making a mid-career switch. As someone in the midst of such a switch and who works in executive search, I can attest to the difficulties. Employers are looking for candidates who have all the necessary experience and contacts. The only people who are willing to set aside past experience are banks or large consultancies who have graduate trainee programmes. Unfortunately, these programmes are not entirely suitable for mid-career switchers because they cater to a younger group. Such employers are looking for younger people with freshly minted MBAs whom they can mould.
As for myself, I am still focusing on building a diverse portfolio of work experiences and contacts. That means that work load can be lumpy and the short-term future always has some element of uncertainty. But I still think that is the way forward. Ironically, I think it is easier for me to embark on such a job-searching strategy in the UK than in Singapore because freelancing and part-time project work are commonly accepted in the UK workplace. It does however mean that I have had to become far more organised in terms of managing time, contacts and projects. Not to mention that I am now my own IT, HR and finance departments.
Sunday, 13 April 2008
