{"id":13704,"date":"2026-03-26T14:34:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/?p=13704"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:37:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:37:20","slug":"nus-cee-fireside-chat-navigating-life-after-graduation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2026\/03\/26\/nus-cee-fireside-chat-navigating-life-after-graduation\/","title":{"rendered":"NUS CEE Fireside Chat: Navigating Life After Graduation"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"13704\" class=\"elementor elementor-13704\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-54aca4e elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"54aca4e\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b08eeb4\" data-id=\"b08eeb4\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4419362 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4419362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Bridging the gap between academic life and the professional world is a crucial step for every undergraduate. On 19 March 2026, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) was thrilled to host a special Fireside Chat, bringing together eight distinguished alumni to share their journeys with our current students.<\/p><p>We were honoured to welcome back Mr Asher Lum (Civil Engineering, 2003), Ms Sum Kun Shan (MSc Environmental Engineering, 2011), Ms Alicia Wang (MSc Environmental Engineering, 2013), Mr Stanley Woo (Environmental Engineering, 2013), Ms Eunice Yang (Civil Engineering, 2011; MSc Civil Engineering, 2019), Mr Kevin Suhartono (MSc Civil Engineering, 2023), Ms Elisabeth Lee (Civil Engineering, 2020), and Mr Yee Jun Rong (Civil Engineering, 2024).<\/p><p>The session provided a candid look at life after graduation. The alumni panellists opened up\u00a0about their transition from the classroom to the workplace, sharing honest stories about their early career challenges, the skills they found most valuable, and the diverse paths a CEE degree can take you.<\/p><p><strong>KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR OUR STUDENTS:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li><strong>Real-World Reality:<\/strong>\u00a0Students gained insight into the day-to-day realities of the industry, moving beyond textbook theory.<\/li><li><strong>Career Agility:<\/strong>\u00a0The panel discussed the importance of adaptability and continuous learning in a fast-evolving engineering landscape.<\/li><li><strong>The &#8220;Squiggly&#8221; Career Path<\/strong>:\u00a0Success isn&#8217;t always a straight ladder. The alumni shared that it is okay to pivot, change roles, or explore different industries within engineering before finding your niche.<\/li><\/ul><p>The energy in the room was palpable as students seized the opportunity to ask questions, seeking advice on everything from internships to navigating workplace culture. It was a heartwarming reminder of the strong community spirit that defines NUS CEE.<\/p><p>A huge thank you to our alumni for paying it forward and inspiring our students to achieve greater heights!<\/p><p>Are you an alumnus or alumna of NUS CEE? Keep in touch with us here: <a href=\"https:\/\/cde.nus.edu.sg\/cee\/alumni\/alumniupdates\/\">https:\/\/cde.nus.edu.sg\/cee\/alumni\/alumniupdates\/<\/a><\/p><p>For more NUS CEE Alumni news, visit our website: <a href=\"https:\/\/cde.nus.edu.sg\/cee\/alumni\/happenings\/\">https:\/\/cde.nus.edu.sg\/cee\/alumni\/happenings\/<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-bf67f7f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"bf67f7f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-32f98f0\" data-id=\"32f98f0\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cdc53d4 elementor-arrows-position-inside elementor-pagination-position-outside elementor-widget elementor-widget-image-carousel\" data-id=\"cdc53d4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;slides_to_show&quot;:&quot;1&quot;,&quot;navigation&quot;:&quot;both&quot;,&quot;autoplay&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_hover&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;pause_on_interaction&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;autoplay_speed&quot;:5000,&quot;infinite&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;effect&quot;:&quot;slide&quot;,&quot;speed&quot;:500}\" data-widget_type=\"image-carousel.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel-wrapper swiper\" role=\"region\" aria-roledescription=\"carousel\" aria-label=\"Image Carousel\" dir=\"ltr\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-image-carousel swiper-wrapper\" aria-live=\"off\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"1 of 2\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Session_1.jpg\" alt=\"Session_1\" \/><\/figure><\/div><div class=\"swiper-slide\" role=\"group\" aria-roledescription=\"slide\" aria-label=\"2 of 2\"><figure class=\"swiper-slide-inner\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"swiper-slide-image\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/03\/Session_2.jpg\" alt=\"Session_2\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-prev\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-chevron-left\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M646 125C629 125 613 133 604 142L308 442C296 454 292 471 292 487 292 504 296 521 308 533L604 854C617 867 629 875 646 875 663 875 679 871 692 858 704 846 713 829 713 812 713 796 708 779 692 767L438 487 692 225C700 217 708 204 708 187 708 171 704 154 692 142 675 129 663 125 646 125Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-swiper-button elementor-swiper-button-next\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-chevron-right\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M696 533C708 521 713 504 713 487 713 471 708 454 696 446L400 146C388 133 375 125 354 125 338 125 325 129 313 142 300 154 292 171 292 187 292 204 296 221 308 233L563 492 304 771C292 783 288 800 288 817 288 833 296 850 308 863 321 871 338 875 354 875 371 875 388 867 400 854L696 533Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"swiper-pagination\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 19 March 2026, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) brought together eight distinguished alumni to share their journeys with current 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