Terng Sheng Lee (Malaysia) , SETU Alumni

Speaker: Terng Sheng Lee, Amazon

Terng Sheng Lee: Hello, guys. So my name is Terng Sheng Lee but most of my friends, they just call me Terng. I'm from Malaysia. I am Chinese Malaysian, and I was asked to share a little bit about my study abroad experience without a view. So the question here is, how did I end up here in Ireland? And basically I studied to use diploma in finance and investments in Malaysia with TAR College. And during my diploma college here, I found out that TAR College actually partner with colleges in all around the world. And then my purpose is clear. I wanted to study in Ireland, so I went for it. And then I studied very hard for my diploma, and I'm very sure that everybody does. And on first of September 2015, I ended. Ended, ended up here in Ireland for my degree in finance and investment with SETU. And it was one year programme and it was totally a big achievement for me. So when I was studying my degree in Ireland, I did not just study. I actually got a part time job in Chinese takeaway, so I'll be like 3 to 4 days in college studying attending classes, doing assignment and stuff. And then the rest of the times I will be working part time in the Chinese takeaway. And my goal was simple. Okay? I wanted to broaden my horizon. I want to see more things. And I wanted to experience more things because they are more to life than just studying in college. But in order for me to achieve that, I needed to get a part time job, you know, in a Chinese restaurant. So when I finished my degree in 2016, I took a gap year working in a takeaway, travelling around. Actually, I've been to America twice. I have been to countries in the Europe and also in Asia. And in 2017, I went back to SETU again for my master degree in GFIS Global Financial Information System (GFIS) and the master degree for me, it wasn't that difficult because it was related to my degree, just a higher level. So the internship was part of my part of my study. So I did my internship in Malaysia because I wanted to be with my families, and I finished my master's degree in, uh, 2019 and I took a I took a year off again, travelling and working again and in in 2020 before the pandemic outbreak, and I was lucky enough to secure a job with Amazon. I went through all the assessment with Amazon and went through all the interviews. I think back then there was like three interviews with Amazon for the one position, and I was fortunate enough to pass all the assessment and the interviews. And I started my career as level trade compliance screening investigator in 2020 and in 2022 I went for higher position. So the position was level for compliance screening adviser. So I had to go through all the assessment and interview against. So in Amazon, whatever position you go for, you have to go through all the assessor and interviews. That could be, like three interviews for interviews or five interviews. You know, anything is possible. And there are different levels in Amazon from level one up to more than level 10. Yeah, so yeah. So this is so far, um, my journey here in Ireland and I have been with Amazon for about two years and a half now. So to those who want to study abroad, I just want to wish you good luck. And I'm sure you guys you and join it. Thanks.

Terng Sheng Lee: um, To me, education is not about what you can learn from the books, so this is not enough. So education is an attitude. Let's say today if when you are when you have an assignment, you have to think about a topic for your assignment, you have to have a structure like what you want to put into the assignment. And the assignment is not only for you, but for the reader to read and possibly to learn something from it. In college, you have to deliver. You have to submit assignment, you have a deadline, and there is no difference than at work and a lot of things in college. They are actually very similar to at work, and you have to work with people you have to do presentation and so on. At workplace, there are a lot of skills you need to have, like social skills, communication skills, teamwork, skills and problem solving skills and all the skills that are important. And you can learn it from when you're in college and you can learn it from your friends from the people around you. So college or university is a very good place to be a better version of yourself. So imagine if you were the employer. Everybody has the same degree, but how can you stand out? So this is why you need to have all disc use to stand out. So to me, the most valuable things that I took that I learned from my education in college is, too, to learn as much as you can from, you know, in college, from the friends, from your from the lecturers and go travelling around the world and within Europe to experience more and to understand the differences between things and to develop your soft skills and, more importantly, is to enjoy as much as you can.

Terng Sheng Lee: so my one piece of advice is to plan everything ahead and anticipate what's going to happen at times will be stressed. There will be questions that cannot be answered, but don't be afraid to ask for help. The great thing about SETU is everybody is so helpful. So when whenever you have any questions, ask. As the lecturers asked the stuff in the university, there are always people out there or even programme where you can seek support from.