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Tue, Mar 10, 2009
The Straits Times
It's sweaty, dirty work but job satisfaction keeps her going

Ms Ng Shi Yun, 25, is among a small but growing pool of women breaking into the male-dominated marine and offshore industry.

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She is responsible for ensuring that offshore rigs are built on schedule, workers' safety is taken into account and the project is kept to budget.

She raised eyebrows when she first walked into the shipyard in her boiler suit, even eliciting well-meant advice to go back to the comfort of an air-conditioned office.

The men did not understand why a woman would want to take up such a job, she said.

Later, as they got to chat with her, they enjoyed her company, she said.

Up till her fifth month of pregnancy, the Keppel FELS project superintendent was on site for up to five hours a day. The rest of the day would be spent in meetings.

'It's definitely not a clean job. You don't come here 'pretty, pretty', then go back 'pretty, pretty' too.

'You would expect to sweat, definitely, because we have to go out no matter what the weather conditions are like,' she said.

This meant staying put on the site even when it rains.

But her preference for a non-routine job and the satisfaction derived from watching a project completed keep her going.

'You see changes in the project's progress each day. This motivates you. Every day you're seeing it grow; it's like your baby,' she said.

Due to deliver her first child - a girl - in two weeks, Ms Ng said she wants to return to work after that.

Asked whether she would encourage her daughter to follow her career choice, she said with a laugh: 'It'll be up to her!'

Ang Yiying

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

 

 
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