After his A levels, Mr Ling Min Koon decided he wanted to study overseas to learn to live independently and broaden his horizons.
It meant he had to clinch a scholarship for a university degree course abroad. Following his A-level results, he applied for a few scholarships, one being with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).
Said Mr. Ling: 'Even at that young age, I already had this perception of CAAS as a highly dynamic and premier organisation that operated the world's best airport, and that was indeed a major draw.'
He was called up for interviews with some of the organisations that he had applied to. However, he had just entered Officer Cadet School then, so he had to 'book out' for interviews with the various scholarship providers.
Some of the organisations turned down his request to re-schedule the interviews, saying that they would re-consider his application the year after.
'Not so for CAAS, who very kindly rescheduled the interview and aptitude tests for a public holiday,' recalled a grateful Mr Ling, now 29.
He eventually chose the CAAS scholarship to pursue a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) course at Imperial College in London over another offer to study in Japan. He had, after all, been a soccer fan of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club since the age of five.
He found studying in London 'tremendous fun'.
The cost of living took some getting used to. Back then, the exchange rate was about 1 sterling pound to S$2.70. I was really flabbergasted when my first meal of char siew rice cost a whopping S$7! And that was from one of the cheapest Chinatown restaurants notorious for its bad service.'
He stayed in the college hall for the first year. He and a few Singaporeans formed their own cooking group, each taking turns to cook for the rest. In the second and third years, the entire cooking group of six shifted into an apartment near the college.
Mr Ling was very actively involved in the Imperial College Singapore Society - and even more so after becoming its president. He spent a lot of time and effort organising activities for the society's members, who were mostly Singaporeans, Malaysians and other nationalities. He went on to spend his third year as chairman of the UK Singapore Students' Council, the grouping for all Singapore societies in the UK.
'It was really tiring and stressful at times, but I grew a lot through those experiences, and I believe that they actually prepared me for my working life, to a certain extent,' said Mr Ling. 'Thankfully, I managed to strike a balance between my studies and voluntary work.'
Back in Singapore to work for the CAAS in 2000, with a second upper honours degree in mechanical engineering, he was posted to the Airport Management Division, where he handled aviation security and crisis management matters.
'Halfway through my second month, the SQ006 crash occurred on Oct 31, 2000, and I was thrown into the deep end - I was roped in to help run our crisis centre and the relatives handling area. Talk about an unforgettable baptism of fire!' he recalled.
He was also involved in implementing various security measures following the 9/11 incident, co-ordinating health screening measures and procedures during the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) crisis, and putting into operation the new baggage security screening system at Changi Airport.
He was later tasked to assist the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) in conducting audits on the member countries' aviation security set-ups, systems and policies.
For the past seven months, Mr Ling has been in the Air Transport Division, where he is senior air transport manager. The division's key task is to work with other countries to liberalise, as far as possible, Singapore's air services agreements with them. The division is also involved in the allocation of traffic rights to local carriers wishing to fly to other countries.
'All these involve much internal strategising and discussion. Apart from the technical knowledge, this requires a good understanding and appreciation of political dynamics,' said Mr Ling.
And there is no such thing as a 'simple' round of talks. 'Each round requires a detailed understanding of the technical issues involved, much internal deliberations on the positions and postures to be adopted, and extensive preparations, including logistics, if the talks were to be held here,' explained Mr Ling. 'That's why my job now is highly stimulating, and I am truly enjoying it.'
Rav Dhaliwal is a freelance writer.