Tan Wee Sian
My name is Wee Sian, I am turning 30 this year and currently working as an Application Engineer in the semiconductor industry.
It is a foreign corporation, and I am honoured to say that I was the first employee they hired in Singapore when they were setting up a local office here after an intensive 2.5-hour interview session. This role requires someone that is independent, and relates well to customers to provide the best customer service to meet the challenging demands.
“I believe I was hired as I am confident, can relate well to people, forms connections easily and I am not afraid of rejection.”
Younger Days
I was very playful in school and growing up, I ended up in fights sometimes with my classmates due to being easily triggered. In fact, my father was called by my principal so often that he told the school to proceed with the punishment first without the need to inform him. During examinations, all my classmates would be sitting quietly in their chairs, while I would be rolling on the floor trying to complete my papers.
I was fortunate to have met a few teachers who made a difference in my life. A teacher in my primary school sensed that I was different and advised my parents to seek a medical evaluation. She also helped me by always tapping on my shoulder whenever I am hyperactive so that is the signal to me that I need to calm myself down. Another teacher in my secondary school stood up for me whenever I got into trouble, he introduced me to bible study and would make an effort to meet me weekly.
“I enjoyed going to school, not for the academic aspects, but to play with my friends during recess and after school.”
I remember there were some kids that did not want me to join them as I was branded as a “special kid” due to my ADHD diagnosis. However, this did not deter me. I persisted and just kept approaching them, and over time, they finally accepted me as they realised I wasn’t that “special” after all. I was just another kid who loves to play.
“I think I am a positive person by nature and have a natural gift to connect with people.”
There was this one boy in school who is autistic and would shy away from talking with anyone. I wanted to befriend him, so I observed him from a distance for a while and took my time to approach him slowly, giving him the space he needed, until eventually he allowed me into his world!
I was fortunate to grow up in a house with many pets: dogs, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. I love animals and they helped me to de-stress whenever I played with them, especially my rabbit. As I grew older, I love fishing and would go sea fishing every weekend, until the COVID lockdowns. In fact, one of my childhood dreams is to be a vet!
Family and Friends
I am lucky to have supportive parents who accepted my ADHD and helped me to be who I am today. My father fought hard to keep me in school when I was faced with expulsion, and I faced suspensions instead. As I was often out of school due to the suspensions, my mom changed to working half days only so that she could take better care of me.
Luckily, we also had very caring neighbours who were teachers and willing to give me private tuition in English, Mathematics etc. I struggled with English compositions, punctuations and my neighbour discovered this when tutoring me one on one. That really made a difference as I learnt much better when it is one-to-one instead of in classrooms where I get easily distracted. So, I guess in a way, I was kind of more homeschooled during my formative years.
There was also much advice from family and friends over the years, the most important is probably building in me an awareness of the importance of education. Hence, I told myself I need to work hard to get at least a diploma, and if possible, a university degree. With self-awareness and support from family, including being motivated by my ex-girlfriend, I managed to enrol in a private school and graduate with a degree.
Advice for Others
“My main advice to others is not to look upon ADHD as some form of illness.”
One of the main reasons why some schoolmates were hesitant to form friendships was due to the “public” declaration by one of the teachers that I had ADHD. Words soon got around the school and many people would look upon me as some special kid and ask me about my illness. I was quite stressed at one point and cried in school.
“If I can give advice to my younger self, it is that having ADHD and dyslexia is not an excuse not to do well.”
It just means we need different strategies to excel. As it is challenging for me to concentrate for long periods in class, I would record the lecture, and playback when I am home. I can concentrate well for about 20 to 25 minutes usually, so I will maximise my studying during that time. Then I will take a break, re-charge and continue after. I find that listening to classical music helps me to improve my concentration/mood especially when I need to memorise a subject. While it will take me a long time to do my work or revision, I believe there is no short cut and each of us must find a way or method that works for us.
Another advice is to have clear goals as it is easier to work towards something when you know what you want to do. I hope that I can set up my own business in future. Maybe in F&B, operating a bar. I might start taking up mixology lessons for cocktails soon! Right now, I hope to travel more in my current job to Korea, Taiwan etc with the pandemic situation improving.
