The Star, Aug 25, 2010
She is the typical girl next door with long hair, sweet smile and a love for pretty pastel colours and dresses. One would rank city girl Carin Chiam to be the last among her peers to venture into an industry dominated by men.
To know why she embarked on an automotive education, the 18-year-old lass tells StarSpecial about her first year at The Otomotif College (TOC).
Q: Describe your childhood in contrast with who you have become today.
A: I was a shy girl when I was young and I like to dress up and put on make-up. I have an older brother and sister but I was not influenced by my brother nor his choice of toys. There is a common misconception that cars only interest men.
Q: What made you decide to take up an automotive education? How did your parents react?
A: Both my parents are working in the automotive industry under Proton. It was my mum who encouraged me to further my studies in this field as she saw the potential in the growing car market, though I had other plans in mind.
She also told me about the job opportunities in the car industry for women and how women are making great strides in the automotive industry. The cars today are different and require more problem-solving skills and intellectual ability to fix them.
With the advancement in technology and electronics, a new generation of professionals are required. Professionals rely more on understanding and communication skills to succeed in this field. I decided to take her advice and give it a go.
Q: What attracted you to start your education at TOC?
A: My mum and I were quite impressed by the facilities offered by the college and the fact that the founder of TOC was a woman herself. Adelaine Foo devoted her time to upgrade the standards, skills and knowledge of the people working in the automotive industry.
Her goal was to promote and furnish formal and fundamental education for existing and new talents to take pride in developing a career in the growing automotive industry.
Q: How do you feel being the odd one out in your class?
A: I didn’t feel odd though I get teased a little from time to time. Still, I get along with everyone quite well. I was a little shy asking questions at first, but I gained confidence when I found that all the trainers are friendly, down-to-earth and helpful. And no, I was never stereotyped because I was different.
Q: Was the practical work demanding? Describe your greatest challenge so far.
A: No. I was more excited than afraid of anything. Having no background in handling cars of any sort, I was a little doubtful of my ability to catch up. Nevertheless, I found out later that the tasks could be handled easily and I was more confident after that.
In fact, I love practical work more than the theory classes as you get a more realistic understanding of the subject compared to just learning by listening and watching.
Because I’m slightly smaller than the boys, I am not able to do certain heavy lifting in terms of transmission, gear box and so on. But my group members help me out so I’m doing fine.
Q: Do you believe that women have a place in the automotive industry? What kind of career pathway are you looking forward to?
A: I believe that girls can do what guys can. It is often believed that women are better in communication skills and men in physical jobs. Given that, there is no reason why female automotive graduates cannot be just as successful as, or even more successful than guys out there.
There are so many career opportunities out there for women and we don’t have to limit ourselves to the level of mechanics and technicians only. We can be service advisers, diagnostics component specialists, collision estimators, parts executives and much more.
Other areas we can involve ourselves in are design, engineering, technology, marketing, sales and even research and development.
As for myself, I aspire to open my own modern workshop one day with a team of specialists dedicated towards serving the public.
The Otomotif College was established in 2005 to produced qualified and competent automotive technicians to meet the needs of one of the largest industries in the world.
TOC students can choose from certificate or diploma programmes in automotive technology or motorsport technology. The next intake is on Sept 13.
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