PUBLISHED ONMarch 24, 2025 8:00 AMByKimi Ang
By age 33, Timothy Tan had his fair share of experience working across various sectors. Graduating with a degree in biomedical science, he started as a pharmaceutical sales representative before moving on to manage an events company.
However, mid-career, Timothy discovered that his true passion lay in pursuing a role in the tech sector. Taking a leap of faith, he signed up for courses at edX and Coursera to acquire skills in Python programming and applied machine learning.
"There's something magical about software and how it controls every part of life: your phone, things on the screen, your cameras even," Timothy notes, likening the importance of codes in software, to DNA in humans that determines how we function and respond.
Strong family support
As a next step, Timothy participated in an intensive three-month bootcamp with General Assembly to deepen his competencies and level up his data science skills. Being an avid boardgame hobbyist, an interest he shares with his wife and kids, he built a boardgame recommender system for his capstone project as a fun way to round up the programme.
Timothy recognises that his ability to realise his career aspirations required more than sheer determination and faith. After all, he was already married with kids when he saw the opportunity to upskill.
"Your [spouse] needs to be encouraging and maybe hold the fort for a while," Timothy shared, adding that his wife served as the main breadwinner as he navigated his career transition.
"The main ingredient to have a successful mid-career switch is to have very strong family support... Family would be the most significant factor for where I am right now."
Finding his calling in tech
For Timothy, the most important takeaway from his upskilling journey was the chance to learn more about himself in the process. "[I learnt] what I really enjoy, what kind of work environment I would thrive in," he observed.
Timothy now works as a software engineer at ReferralCandy, a tech company that helps e-commerce businesses incentivise customers with referrals, thereby growing their customer base.
This work has been rewarding for him, as he derives immense fulfilment from helping merchants scale their businesses.
Opportunities in the tech sector
If, like Timothy, you are contemplating a mid-career switch to the tech sector, there are resources out there for you.
Apart from career conversion programmes offered by Workforce Singapore, you can also consider the available job opportunities under the Company-Led Training programme by the Infocomm and Media Development Authority (IMDA) to help you gain tech skills in in-demand areas such as AI, cybersecurity, and software engineering.
This article is brought to you in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, in support of the Smart Nation initiative to build a thriving digital future for all.
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