{"id":55494,"date":"2026-03-30T14:26:53","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T06:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tum-asia.edu.sg\/?p=55494"},"modified":"2026-04-01T09:29:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T01:29:50","slug":"opening-doors-you-dont-see-coming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tum-asia.edu.sg\/cn\/stories\/opening-doors-you-dont-see-coming\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening Doors You Don\u2019t See Coming"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yitch at his desk in ST Engineering. (Photo: Fathiyah Konzan)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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How an opportunity at TUM Asia quietly shaped a career and a way of seeing the world.<\/i><\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Arriving in jeans and a tee, Yitch fills the room with his energy. He is currently a Senior Manager at ST Engineering\u2019s Artificial Intelligence\/Data Analytics Strategic Technology Centre, also known (unofficially) as \u2018Ratworks\u2019, a reference to Lockheed Martin\u2019s legendary \u2018Skunk Works\u2019. The name reflects both the nature of the work and the spirit of the team \u2013 unassuming, grounded, and focused on what matters.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A bimanual teleoperation rig that allows a human operator to remotely and simultaneously control robotic arms and hands. (Photo: Fathiyah Konzan)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Working at the intersection of basic research and real-world application, the team identifies where emerging technology holds operational promise and steers it from lab to field across areas in defence to public safety.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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An Unexpected Beginning<\/strong><\/p>

Yitch did not set out to pursue a master\u2019s degree. It was 2010, in the wake of the global financial crisis, and he was navigating an uncertain job market. His professors at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Associate Professor Seik Liter and Professor Chang Chip Hong, saw potential in him and encouraged him to apply for the TUM-NTU Master of Science in Integrated Circuit Design<\/a> at TUM Asia. It was a moment of being seen at the right time and one he has never forgotten.<\/p>

\u201c[I\u2019m] totally grateful [that they] asked,\u201d Yitch says with a sense of gratitude that emulates his deep appreciation for Associate Professor Seik and Professor Chang. \u201cWithout [them], and without really getting the master\u2019s, we wouldn\u2019t have had the opportunity to work.\u201d<\/p>

His expectations of the programme at the time were modest but what he could not have anticipated was how much that door would continue to pay forward across his career journey.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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A Cohort That Broadened His Perspective<\/strong><\/p>

Yitch\u2019s course mates were primarily international and that diversity proved to be one of the programme\u2019s most enduring gifts. Studying alongside peers across Asia, each bringing distinct educational backgrounds, cultural contexts, and approaches to problem-solving, gradually reshaped his perspective.<\/p>

Beyond learning different cultural practices and ways of communicating, the deeper shifts came in the classroom. Yitch found himself challenged to rethink not just what he knew, but how he thought as his peers provided different thought processes and saw \u201cthe problem a lot faster.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cBack then it was not immediately obvious,\u201d he reflects, \u201cbut having studied alongside peers from different parts of the world, you come to realise how much there is to learn from one another \u2014 and how much richer your thinking becomes for it.\u201d<\/p>

That cross-cultural fluency has served him throughout his career, particularly in roles that required working across geographies and multicultural teams. He found himself better prepared than he had realised due to the daily practice of navigating differences that the programme had quietly provided.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cThe folks came from top undergraduate universities like Peking University. The thought process is totally different … and the ability to have shortcuts and skip workings [were] fascinating.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/h4><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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During a visit to IBM Research in 2016, at the Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). (Photo: Yitch)<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A Credential With Reach<\/strong><\/p>

Beyond the classroom, Yitch\u2019s educational qualification from TUM Asia has opened doors that he continues to walk through. In global engineering and industry circles, particularly in Germany, the TUM branding carries weight that has proven professionally significant time and again.<\/p>

One such moment came during his unexpected delegation trip to the Nordic countries as Yitch found himself being the only semiconductor specialist in the room. Arriving directly from an overnight flight and stepping straight into high-level discussions, he was the \u201conly person who could go in depth and discuss about reliability studies\u201d and his master\u2019s thesis on time-frequency analysis. The rigour and depth of the programme had prepared him for a moment he had not seen coming.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photo: Fathiyah Konzan<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Learning By Doing<\/strong><\/p>

If there is a philosophy that runs through everything Yitch does, it is that you cannot truly understand something until you are in it. He draws on the concept of GEMBA, from the Toyota Production System and Lean methodology, which encourages one to be present and directly observe on-the-ground processes, not from a distance.<\/p>

He applies this principle in farms and factories that he used to run to understand operations and returns periodically to work a shift at McDonald\u2019s. These were his structured exercises in observing how processes evolve, teams are managed, and how design decisions play out at the ground level. \u201cManagement will only walk around,\u201d he says. \u201cBut if you really do it, you really understand.\u201d<\/p>

It is the same instinct applied across every context of his, by staying curious and grounded.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Photo: Fathiyah Konzan<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Paying It Forward<\/strong><\/p>

Yitch did not enter TUM Asia with a carefully mapped plan. He came because someone believed in him at a moment when his path was uncertain. Not immediately obvious in its value, the programme provided him with a globally respected academic qualification, peers who gave different perspectives and challenged how he worked, amongst others. It became clear over time in the rooms it allowed him to enter and the conversations it equipped him to have.<\/p>

That sense of having been given an opportunity shapes how he thinks about giving back. For Yitch, contributing to the alumni community<\/a> is about extending the same kind of access and support that once made a difference to him. He approaches it with the same humility that defines everything he does. \u201cIf there\u2019s a need for help, I\u2019m happy to extend,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s what this community is for.\u201d<\/p>

His advice is simple \u2013 do not be afraid to fail, do not chase titles, and always find meaning in the work you are doing, as the rest has a way of following. \u201cNo point looking backwards,\u201d he reflects. \u201cFind the best out of every situation.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The value of a master’s degree may not always be obvious when you are in it. For Yitch, the most lasting lessons from his programme did not come from the curriculum alone, they also came from his peers who challenged him to think differently, a credential that unlocked new professional doors, and a worldview that quietly expanded along the way.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":55648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTUM Asia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"TUM Asia Alumnus Yitch reflects how an unexpected master's programme compounded quietly into a career of depth, reach, and purpose.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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