Taking flight: The journey from pilot to entrepreneur

 

Fok Yan Ho is now a consultant with Egis Singapore, an engineering and infrastructure company.

After over a decade in the Air Force, Fok Yan Ho decided to pivot to a new career path. While he knew that pursuing a postgraduate degree could facilitate that mid-career transition, choosing the right programme was a challenge.

Describing himself as a “middle-aged individual juggling studies, work and raising a child”, Yan Ho considered several pertinent factors, including the expected cost of the programme. He eventually chose the Master of Science in Technopreneurship and Innovation Programme (MSc TIP) at NTU Entrepreneurship Academy (NTUpreneur).

“While exploring various options available at NTU, I came across the MSc TIP. I read up on its syllabus and alumni stories and wanted to learn more about entrepreneurship and innovation. I mean, who doesn’t wonder what it takes to become the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk? I decided that the programme was the right fit for me,” Yan Ho explained.

“I was also fortunate that the programme offers scholarships and study awards. I was eventually offered the MSc TIP Entrepreneurship Study Award, which helped offset part of the course fees,” he added.

An eye-opening experience

Coming from a STEM background, the seasoned aviation professional had always been “deeply immersed in the purely technical, scientific, engineering and mathematical realm”, and revealed that he had little academic or professional exposure to business management and entrepreneurship.

Yan Ho found the master's programme refreshing and described his experience as eye-opening. A keen learner, he also took up a cross-listing module under the MBA programme with Nanyang Business School.

“It was another eye-opener, as I learned from new lecturers, met new classmates, and got into the realm of MBA education,” he shared.

At the end of the course, Yan Ho and his course mates had the opportunity to embark on an immersion trip to Silicon Valley. They visited the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University, attended lectures by accomplished academics, and met venture capitalists, investors, and start-up founders. The memorable experience enabled him to gain new perspectives and fresh insights from industry players whom he said he would never have crossed paths with otherwise.

Reflecting on his journey, Yan Ho enthused, “I thoroughly enjoyed my learning experience at NTUpreneur, more than I thought I would at the start of the course. It sparked a great deal of intellectual curiosity in me and opened new perspectives on how I understand and process current global events.”

Yan Ho noted that back in 2018, news of Grab’s acquisition of Uber “didn’t mean much to me back then”, as what he cared about was “at the end user level”. However, he now comprehends the wider implications, moving beyond headlines like "Grab’s efforts to manage revenue and costs" to understand why companies can still succeed despite not being profitable.

Yan Ho credits two of his lecturers not just for imparting entrepreneurial knowledge and skills but also for being an inspiration to him.

“One instructor that I remember well is Dr Jin Song, an investment professional, and private equity partner and fund manager. He was very sincere and engaging in his lesson delivery and I learned a lot about funding, valuation, business objectives, and the differences between business owners and investors.”

Yan Ho described Dr Jin as an interesting role model, as he had also come from a STEM background, before pivoting to academia and then business and finance.

“To me, he served as a good example of how someone with a STEM background, can transition career paths and excel in business and finance,” he added.

Another instructor who left a deep impression on Yan Ho was Mr Bill Lee, a successful entrepreneur who established a tech firm providing solutions in building management.

“Mr Lee was the guest speaker for one of our modules. My teammates and I had the opportunity to participate in follow-up sessions with him, where we learned more about his business and decision-making process. I was intrigued that he left a high-paying job at a prestigious audit and consulting firm to start his own company. Despite many nerve-wrecking, highly stressful challenges and low points, he persevered over the years and today his company is doing well. His story is truly inspirational,” noted Yan Ho.

Soaring to greater heights

Since completing his MSc TIP, Yan Ho has taken up a consulting and project management role at Egis in Asia Pacific. He plans and delivers airport related infrastructural projects as well as planning and procuring next generation systems in airport traffic management. His team works on construction, infrastructure engineering, systems engineering and operations consulting.

Yan Ho applies the entrepreneurial mindset and problem-solving skills he gained at NTUpreneur in his work and personal ventures.

“While I am currently not in any start-up, I have made some mini strides in my own business by designing innovative solutions and monetised it to air traffic control users,” he shared

Yan Ho expressed the opinion that a person’s work and personal life can be likened to a business. He advised, "As you go through your life journey, think of yourself as a start-up or a business. What value can I offer to people who hire me or buy my services? How do I create and increase that value? How do I grow myself as a brand?"

In other words, a change in job scope, transitioning to a new job, or a change in employer can be viewed as an opportunity for an individual to build their career and brand via pivoting in his journey of growth.

Stepping beyond the comfort zone

When asked about the significant moments or challenges in his own journey, Yan Ho emphasised the importance of making thoughtful decisions as he progressed in life, to ensure that personal and work commitments as well as academic pursuits were managed well.

Another challenge was making the decision to leave his comfort zone. Coming from a civil service background, he often wondered if he should leave his stable job and pursue a master’s programme.

“Do I really need it? What can I gain from it?” he questioned.

Yan Ho believes that people need to have a long-term plan in mind, knowing what they want to accomplish, and whether staying comfortable and secure is the end goal. In his case, he felt the need to invest in himself and push himself further to forge new paths, which takes courage.

For those considering MSc TIP, Yan Ho highlights the programme’s well-rounded syllabus, diverse participants, and exposure to its inspirational stories. He recommends the course to others from a STEM background who are keen to learn about start-ups and entrepreneurship from distinguished academia and industry professionals alike.

This story was first published here.