If someone told Shaikh when he was 17 that he would one day graduate with an honours degree, he would not have believed it.

Opting for a technical education because he was not academically inclined, he started work as a technician. His lifelong learning journey began with a sponsorship from his company, after which he embarked on an almost decade-long selffinanced quest for knowledge.

As an adult student, it was tough as he had to juggle work, family and classes. It got tougher when he was retrenched without any benefits while pursuing a diploma in electrical engineering. It was only through good time management, self-discipline and sheer determination that he managed to complete the programme in 2000.

By then, he was working in PUB, which recognised his positive work attitude by sponsoring him for a five-year part-time bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronic engineering at NTU. Shaikh graduated with honours at the age of 40.

The late bloomer said of this very hectic time: “I didn’t even get to see my children when I came home from school on some days, but it was all worth it in the end.”