PCHANDRAN2/4 $4.45 per Day
Channel: 50FACES
Date: 19/01/2015

Mr Chandran was determined to move up the ranks and he knew upgrading himself was the way to go. His busy hours from work did not dim his drive to study. He used to finish his work and any overtime work, take a shower and then attend classes at Singapore Vocational Institute in the evenings. The launch of evening classes (popularly known as ‘Lembaga’) by unionist and ex-president Devan Nair was a boon to motivated people like Chandran.

His mode of transport was his beloved cycle, which faithfully brought him from his work place at Thomson to the vocational institute in Balestier. However it was not always smooth going as Chandran also had to overcome the lack of support from his colleagues and seniors at work, as in the 70’s the management and even the government were not supportive of employees furthering their studies. 

With his initial salary of $4.45 as a daily rated worker, he saved up to study and slowly made his way up at the workplace. His relentless effort in improving himself and his skill sets speaks for itself as he got promoted progressively to become a principal technical officer just before retirement.