He's started a new career in robotics at the age of 53
Published on
30 Mar 2020
Published by
The Straits Times
Project manager Joseph Yap lost his job not once but twice in the last decade while working in the industrial air compressor industry.
The first occasion was when he was 46 and let go from his post as a regional application engineer in a multinational corporation where he had worked for 17 years.
The six-month job search that followed was stressful. "I had a few sleepless weeks. I was very worried about my future, my family and my kids," he said.
His two children were in primary school at the time and though his wife was working, he was concerned about making ends meet as he was also supporting his parents.
"I sent out more than 100 job applications and even took up a part-time job paying $5 an hour to mark students' homework," said Mr Yap, now 53.
Even though he lowered his salary expectations, he felt employers were reluctant to take him on as they were worried that he would not stay long at their firms due to his more senior rank. They would often ask for his age at the first phone call.
Mr Yap eventually found work as a technical support manager serving the Vietnam market for a smaller compressor firm, but he was retrenched five years later when his company closed its Vietnam plant.
This time he took the plunge to switch industries and upgrade himself. Three months into his job search, he took up an attach-and-train professional conversion programme in December 2018 to become a robotics engineer. He was given a training allowance while attending a free training course for three months, followed by an attachment at Kaze Robotics.
Kaze Robotics, which makes autonomous mobile robots, eventually hired Mr Yap last year as a technical project manager. He deploys engineers to client sites to commission and troubleshoot robots and is earning more than at his last job.
"Initially, I feared I wouldn't be able to keep up with my younger colleagues. But although I'm one of the most senior (members) in the team, my colleagues are all very supportive and approachable," he said.
Kaze chief technology officer Sathyian Darmarajan said Mr Yap demonstrated good people skills during the attachment and the ability to mentor younger colleagues.
"Joseph's willingness to enrol in the programme showed us he was willing to take up new challenges. Hence, we decided to hire him even though he does not have the relevant technical experience," he said.
Joanna Seow
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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