Retiree graduates from poly at 64, says ‘there’s no end to learning’

After almost 40 years since he left school, retiree Patrick Goh decided it was time to go back.

The former Singapore Airlines flight attendant, 64, enrolled in the diploma in information technology (IT) at Republic Polytechnic (RP) in 2016.

Mr Goh admitted that he faced some challenges.

He told The New Paper: "It was a sharp learning curve, all the technical jargon was like learning a new language.

"I had to constantly approach my classmates for help, which made me feel bad at times because I didn't want to bother them too much."

ADVANTAGE

But Mr Goh, who graduated last week, also felt his age and work experience gave him an advantage at times.

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He said "In my job, I have learnt to interact with all sorts of people, and I think that really helped me when I had to do my internship in the final year.

"I feel like I was able to mediate (disputes) well and help people see from a different perspective."

He said: "I believe there's no end to learning and I want others to realise that if I can do it, then you can too, at any age."

Miss Radhika Subramaniam, 20, who was in the human resource management with psychology course in RP, did not let her family's financial struggles hinder her academic achievements and leadership potential.

Grateful for the financial assistance from RP, she felt that she needed to give back and decided she could put her people and leadership skills to good use.

She joined the student council and became the vice-president in her second year.

She said: "I was so grateful for the opportunity to be so active in the student council, as I felt that it is important for the student body to have someone represent them."

Miss Subramaniam, who will be graduating tomorrow, told TNP: "I would love to be an inspiration to people. I am so proud of how far I've come and I would want people to see that it's possible to do it no matter where you come from."