A few words from 2014 DCPE graduate Tsu Wei Quan on what he thinks makes SP education worthwhile and the National Infocomm Scholarship (NIS) Scholarship that he received.
What are your thoughts on receiving the NIS scholarship?
I feel very honoured to be a recipient of this NIS scholarship. Receiving this scholarship was one of my greatest achievements in my life thus far and it gave me confidence to continue excelling in computer engineering studies. I am glad that all
the effort that I had put in during my polytechnic years had paid off. Of course, receiving this scholarship wouldn’t be possible without the constant guidance and support that my polytechnic lecturers had given me. I am thankful for opportunity
offered and I will do my best to contribute to this modern computer technology savvy society.
What spurred your passion in computer engineering?
During my secondary school days, online games had always been a craze and I was very much immersed in the thrill of computer gaming. I was very intrigued by the layout of these games and would spend hours in front of the computer exploring for new
software resources hoping to just kill my burning curiosity. I was particularly interested in computer security such as hacking techniques and cheat engines software. From then, my passion for computer technologies grew. Furthermore, through some
interactions with IT support team, I managed to get a better understanding of internet network maintenance and was amused to know how connected these systems were. Moreover, taking up part time jobs in IT events further broaden my knowledge of
computers and software related products. My passion for computers never fails to get stronger. Simply said, anything that is involved with computers light that spark in me.
Why did you decide to come to SP?
Knowing that I have a passion for computers ever since my secondary school days, I was certain that computer engineering was the right course for me. Well having heard from words of mouth that SP was known to have one of the best engineering schools
among the other few polytechnics, I begin to research further by looking through SP portals and reading reviews of SP engineering alumni. With many considerations, I chose Computer engineering as my top choice during my course selection upon entry
to Singapore Polytechnic as I am confident that SP can offer me with the right essential knowledge that I had always wanted. Undoubtedly, it was a decision that I did not ever once regret. I fell in love with this course even more during my study
in SP as the modules had given me a better understanding and concrete foundation of computer technology.
How has the SP experience help you so far?
SP had equipped me with good technical skillset that is deemed useful for my future use. Moreover, SP offers a wide range of equipment that is available for student use. With the availability of these facilities, I was exposed to many new technologies
such as 3D-Printer and laser-cutter. Furthermore, there are always friendly and professional TSO/ lab technicians that are willing to assist me whenever I needed help with machine operations. This made learning so much easier. During my study
in SP, I also have the privilege of working in SP learning data centre at T931 under the guidance of Mr Teo Shin Jen. This had provided me with a good simulation experience of how the outside world’s data centres were like.
My SP experience would not be complete without mentioning the constant support that I had received from my lecturers. During my year 2 in SP, I was very interested in cloud computing. Hoping to learn more in that particular specialised topic, I approached
a few lecturers for more detailed information. Mr Teo Shin Jen was more than happy to provide me with the related knowledge and from there, I managed to complete 3 projects involving cloud computing. I was glad that I was able to experience hands-on
experiments in T931 lab together with my fyp team. I would like to specially thank Mr Teo for inspiring me and guiding me throughout these years. The experiences that I gained from SP were fruitful and beneficial to me.
What is your future aspiration?
Having a strong passion for computers, my future aspiration is to contribute to the modern IT society. My future aspiration is to work in the industry of computing. Alongside my tertiary studies, I had set a few goals that I would want to achieve
before I step into the working society. As a Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), I wish to proceed further on to being a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP). Other related tasks that I am currently embarking on include live streaming
of data from many sensors to a cloud server and providing real time information. I also hope to attain other certificates such as Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) and many others. Although I have only managed Cloud Stack, I would
also love to gain experience from other cloud platform. I find deploying of cloud service an excitement to me as I learn something new each time I deploy. Hence OpenStack and Eucalyptus would be my next focus of interest. Other than cloud computing,
I will be learning to code in lua, improving my java skills and hope to develop a mobile application soon. As this may seem overwhelming for me at this moment, I believe I can do it as long as I have the passion and take each step one at a time.