Back in 1994, Ms Masturah Abdul Samad had to end her 13-year career as a security officer with Certis Cisco in order to raise her children.
Explaining that she did not want to miss watching her two children grow up, 52-year-old Ms Masturah said: “My first-born was in kindergarten then. I stopped working because taking care of my children was my priority.”
Ms Masturah moved back into the workforce with a part-time job in the fast food industry in 2006.
Her 26-year-old son now works as a Teaching Assistant at the National University of Singapore and her 20-year-old daughter is a nursing student in a local polytechnic.
Although Ms Masturah was happy to be back at work, she was unhappy with her job in the fast-food industry and decided to look for better opportunities elsewhere.
A Win-Win Situation
In November 2014, Ms Masturah became one of the candidates who joined Digiphoto Entertainment Imaging (DEI) as part of the Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA) scheme the company implemented for mature workers.
“This flexi-work arrangement gives me more time to do what I want and it also gives me a chance to fulfill the obligations I have at home. It’s a win-win situation,” said Ms Masturah.
Place and Train
Ms Masturah went through a two-and-a-half day place-and-train programme through the collaboration of her employer, the Women’s Development Secretariat (WDS) and Devan Nair e2i (Employment and Employability Institute). The training allowed her to acquire valuable skills such as how to operate a camera and how to use a computer. She also went through training that taught her soft-skills like how to project a professional image and the etiquettes of retail service.
Ms Masturah currently works a 25-hour week from Monday to Wednesday. Her job requires her to take photos, print and sell them as souvenirs to tourists at Sentosa’s Tiger Sky Tower. She said that the most enjoyable thing about her work is the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life and nationalities.
Being Self-Empowered
Since both her children are now adults and are seldom home, Ms Masturah feels that her current job also allows her to keep herself busy.
“Besides the usual housework, I would have nothing else to do other than watch television. Working here keeps me occupied and be more productive. Also, the feeling of being independent and being empowered with my own life is what I enjoy most about working,” she said.
Source: NTUC This Week
