The pandemic threw Gabriel Wong a curveball, but he remained focused and unfazed in his commitment to lifelong learning.
Currently working as a loss adjustor in the oil and gas industry, Gabriel is an NUS alumnus who graduated in 2012 with a Master of Science, specialising in oil and gas technology.
Wanting to formalise the knowledge and skills he has acquired through his work experience over the years in the energy sector, he found two graduate level academic modules which he felt were relevant to his field of work - Geoscience for Petroleum Exploration and Fundamentals in Environmental Protection.
“Both modules complement what I do on a day-to-day basis. They gave me the academic depth to support the practical experience that I have”, he shared, adding that they were very relevant and useful.
Geoscience for Petroleum Exploration was particularly enjoyable for Gabriel as it provided him a practical view of how things work in exploration. The technical analysis and tutorials were also enriching: “They gave me a lot of appreciation for how I can apply analysis”, he said, “it was very intriguing because it was not just theory – there were a lot of practical applications and data from real locations.”
The modules met all of Gabriel’s expectations. “Science is science. There was nothing unexpected, except for Covid-19”, he said. The course started as class-based, but the pandemic hit midway through, and the learning had to be moved to an online setting. “In a sense, it was blended”, he added, “but it was very well adapted and evolved well into how the pandemic changed our lives.”
Encouraging others to explore Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses to stay relevant, Gabriel offers this piece of advice: “If you are in the quest to upgrade yourself, you are on the right path. When this pandemic ends, we need to be competent on a global level.”
He strongly believes that NUS courses are here to support that goal. “I have experienced it first-hand, and I think it is really cool, so do take up the opportunity when it is available to you.”