When Chinnu first came to Singapore from India 13 years ago to work as a construction worker, he did not have any free time at all. It was not because his boss ill-treated him. Rather, Chinnu was busy studying for various construction-related courses.

Juggling work with night classes was not easy. On occasions, he even had to return to the construction site after school to finish his work. His determination to succeed was rewarded when he was promoted to safety supervisor.

During the 1998 Asian financial crisis, the company he was working for closed down. Despite the high unemployment rate, Chinnu managed to find a job as a safety supervisor at another construction company as he was equipped with relevant training and skills which kept him employable. It was also during this time that he decided to pursue his interest in accounting and auditing, completing two diplomas — in business administration and in accounting.

This period of juggling work with studies was made more difficult by the death of his first child. But the hard work has been worth it. Chinnu, now a Singapore PR, is currently an audit senior at BDO Raffles, a business consultancy.

To encourage others with the same passion of upgrading themselves, he is also a part-time mentor for the BSc (Hons) programme in FTC Kaplan. Chinnu said: “It is very rewarding to be able to share my knowledge and experiences with others.”