Work can be demanding and it is not always fun, but having a positive attitude in the workplace can help you create a conducive business environment in the engineering industry. The Verbinden team catches up with one of our alumni, who shared his perspective on maintaining a positive outlook in his Engineering career.

Hi Darren, tell our readers more about yourself.

Darren: Hello! I graduated from the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering & information Technology programme back in 2015. I am currently working at Vertiv (Singapore) as a Sales Engineer in Light Industrial.

What inspired you to pursue higher studies?

Darren: In my career and life, I put learning and personal development as my main focus, which allows me to navigate through paths that are different from what others may take. One important goal that I have set for myself is to strive to learn as much as possible and reach my maximum potential in the shortest period of time.

“As engineers, it is always useful to look beyond the  surface,  and  that  is  when  we  are  able  to think out of the box and propose solutions because we have a strong understanding of the basics and the work that we do“.

How has your education helped you to grow as a person?

Darren: As the saying goes, knowledge is gold. I really enjoyed the lessons taught by my professors and I learned a lot from their sharing. However, the highlight of my education was the opportunity to complete my Bachelor thesis at TUM’s campus in Munich, Germany. I was able to complete my thesis on a topic that I have always been particularly interested in, which was about clean energy. In addition, studying at TUM Asia is not just about studying; it goes beyond that. We had many eye-opening experiences by living in a different country and also through cultural interactions.  Even  till today, these fond memories are experiences that I treasure and bring with me whenever I travel to new places.

Tell us more about your job responsibilities in a highly specialized engineering role?

Darren: My daily activities at work include providing  optimized  solutions   to the customers through  consulting and  advising  them.  My   company is a solution provider for critical infrastructure in thermal, power and monitoring for data centers, both in the commercial and industrial sectors. This requires me to  understand  what their company does and what solutions we can offer to help them to optimize their business. I believe that this aspect is also applicable to other engineering roles as one would also be required to understand the needs of the clients or industry that they are providing their solutions to.

Are there benefits to be skilled in ‘German Engineering’ in the engineering industry in Singapore?

Darren: There are definitely benefits and advantages to ‘German Engineering’. You can try asking anyone about Germany and they will agree with you that the country is well-regarded for their expertise  in  engineering and technology. During my studies, one of my German professors told me something that stood out to me  in terms of how they thought when they approached problems. He mentioned that we should always tackle the  situation  by  identifying the problem from the roots. Each problem can be solved if we  have the basics as our foundation. His advice has encouraged me to work on my analytical skills  and  make  me look deeper at the challenging situations that I face. This is a useful approach because as  engineers,  it is always useful to look beyond the surface, and that is when we are able to think out of the box and propose solutions because we have a strong understanding of  the  basics  and the work that we do. To add on, a team of students from TUM made international headlines with their success with the Hyperloop. It shows a lot about how special it is to have studied engineering from the experts in Germany.

Now that you are a successful working professional, how can your juniors be prepared for the future challenges that they might face in the workforce?

Darren: I would like to share the following acronym, “GLOW”! The ‘G’ stands for “Go Attitude”, which represents action, where you plan your move and act on it. The ‘L’ stands for “Learning”, which to me meant placing learning and growth as the most important priority in life. The ‘O’ stands for “Open Up”, which represents being open-minded and keen to face new challenges. The ‘W’ stands for “Win”, where one should be prepared with the mentality to overcome the new challenges and win. I would encourage  my  juniors to remember the themes in “GLOW” and to continue to strive for greater achievements with a positive mindset.

How do you see yourself making an impact to the engineering community in the near future?

Darren: As Singapore is working towards becoming a Smart Nation, I am extremely excited that my engineering career is one  that  will  be  involved to help transform Singapore. I am looking forward to contributing to critical infrastructure aspects, such as by supporting various organizations in their power systems. Such efforts are not done single handedly, but involves the contributions of many different talented and skilled individuals from various industries, coupled with the support of the Singapore government.

“I believe that this aspect is also applicable to other engineering roles as one would also be required to understand the needs of the clients or industry that they are providing their solutions to.“

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Darren studied in the Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Electrical Engineering & Information Technology with the Technical University of Munich. He studied in the Singapore branch campus (TUM Asia) and spent three months in Munich, Germany to complete his thesis at the home campus of the university. 

To read the full interview with Qi Sheng, it was first published in our Verbinden Newsletter (Fall2017). View the e-newsletter here >>

TUM Asia administrates the TUM Bachelor degrees together with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). GCE ‘A’ Levels, Polytechnic Diploma and international qualification holders may apply for the TUM Bachelor degrees. Find out more about the programmes offered >>

Interested students may apply for the TUM Bachelor of Science programmes from January to March each year by selecting the TUM Bachelor programmes: www.tum-asia.edu.sg/adm