You should apply for the NOC programme. You really should. The application opens on 14 January 2008, so mark that in your calendar. In this short piece, I’ve been tasked to detail my experience on the programme, which (hopefully) will convince you to take that first step.
For starters, NOC stands for NUS Overseas Colleges. The programme gives students a unique opportunity to work and study at various academic and entrepreneurial hubs around the world. I have just returned to Singapore last August after having spent over a year in Stockholm, Sweden.
So why do I hold the programme in such high regard? Well, it definitely sounds cliché, but there’s really no two ways about it. The past year was definitely one of the best times of my life.
Image courtesy of NUS-NOC
As an intern, I was quickly given responsibility. Honestly, I did not know anything when I started off but I was expected to learn, cope and get things done. While it definitely wasn’t easy, I did. It was definitely a great learning experience. I use the word ‘intern’ loosely since I never felt like one. My suggestions and ideas carried as much weight as those of other employees or even my supervisor. I was given complete freedom in how I wanted to accomplish tasks. In fact, the CEO still jokes that the only answer I used to get to my questions is, “I don’t know. It’s up to you.”
But that’s not all. The change in mindset is really because of all the people you’ll meet. Regardless of who we are, over time, we tend to form preconceived notions and ideas of how the world and people around us work. While these may have developed slowly over many years of reinforcement, they can definitely be wrong or incomplete. I am particularly grateful, even lucky, for having met, known and made such wonderful friends throughout my one year in Stockholm. That includes everyone from my colleagues and friends from classes to dorm-mates. Thanks to them, today I am able to see many things from different perspectives.
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Images courtesy of NUS-NOC |
It was also a great opportunity to do things we loved. Together with the next batch of students, we organised a conference on Internet technologies. People loved it so much that they still talk about it to this day.
This piece seems disjointed simply because it is. Describing the different aspects of the programme separately does not do it justice. Entrepreneurship, studies, people, work or fun might not mean much in separate contexts. However, put them all together and something wonderful happens.
Image courtesy of NUS-NOC
And that’s really what an overseas programme should be about. When you get back, you’ll feel like you can rule the world if you only try. Failures become stepping stones and challenges become opportunities. If there’s anything “not so good” about the NOC programme, it is that it can never be long enough!
-Ramkumar Shankar, NUS College at Stockholm (NCST), July 2006 Batch 3
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