With workplaces ranging from the United States during the dot-com boom to the Middle East to Papua New Guinea, Tang Chi Lin, a FASS History alumnus, has had a career filled with adventure and adaptations. This however, was “not a choice”, but the result of finding a need to better himself and stay ahead of the game – an instinct cultivated during his time in FASS.

Thinking back to his history class on India under Professor Tan Tai Yong, Chi Lin learnt about the country’s diversity before it rose to prominence as one of fastest growing economies in the world. This knowledge became beneficial when it helped him fit in culturally among his co-workers while working in the Middle East.

“Staying relevant at work is so difficult.  Knowledge becomes obsolete after (a) few short years,” explained Chi Lin. Before arriving at his current position as Head of Sales & Marketing at TÜV NORD Group Singapore, Chi Lin had stints in retail, IT solutioning and water treatment, reinventing his career each time by applying best practices from previous industry and learning new ones in a different industry. Whenever finances were sound, Chi Lin would embark on studies, having taken up courses in business transformation and data science among many others.

Disrupting one’s career comes with its own set of challenges. Crediting the multidisciplinary learning in FASS as his “key to adaptation”, he has learnt to confidently put himself into subjects like engineering schematics, Python code, and harmonised trade rules. Sharing his strategy, Chi Lin breaks it down into simple steps: “Dive in, try to understand, substitute complex words with ones in simple English, apply analogies, rest, and deep dive again.”

“Sure, I won’t be the blue blood expert, but having 30% - 40% domain knowledge across disciplines would be valuable,” Chi Lin admits.

Chi Lin’s firm belief in FASS’ multidisciplinary learning left him unsurprised and an advocate of the integration between FASS and the Faculty of Science into the new NUS College of Humanities and Sciences (CHS). Citing an encounter with the engineering director of a contact lens plant that left him impressed, Chi Lin mentioned how the director was not only trained as a medical doctor but also had a separate degree in engineering and a MBA. Chi Lin felt that more of such talents were required everywhere and that the new College would be “a good step” in empowering and developing similar professionals. It would now be up to students to explore the “new horizons” that have opened with the new college.

Chi Lin also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic was also evidence of how crucial a multidisciplinary approach was and how we would be lost without it. Inspired by innovative businesses started by unemployed professionals including doctors, lawyers, and bankers, Chi Lin, who also graduated during uncertain times as part of the “Class of Asian Financial Crisis, 1997” has a positive message for incoming undergraduates of CHS: “The future is bright, pandemic or otherwise”.