This writing was originally a post on Linkedin
For 26 days, I have been visiting the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) daily for intensive ‘swimming sessions’ at the piscine – french for swimming pool – to learn how to code, and it has been a truly inspiring learning experience. In those 26 days, I went from knowing nothing about C programming to learning how to code in C. There were no teachers, no lectures, and no tutorials whatsoever! Learning is self-directed and our schedule is flexible. The school is open 24/7 – we can visit whenever we want, and stay over as well if we are so keen!
Every day, I head into the computer lab to learn with my peers, learn from my peers, and sometimes teach my peers what I have learnt. My classmates at the piscine were from the most diverse backgrounds as well. There were fresh graduates, founders, retirees, working parents like myself and so many different people from all walks of life. The 26 gruelling days have been more manageable because of these classmates whom I met along the way. We went from being strangers to becoming friends. We ate together and coded together. We jogged in the morning and studied in the evening. I hung out with them in school, and they ended up hanging out with my family and babysitting my children at the Istana open house last Sunday! Thank you Julfendi V, Wei Ching Ong, Axel Lee, Ahmad, Sebastian and Luqman for the wonderful time together. It has been my pleasure to have met and learnt from all of you.
Thank you also Chye Soon KOH for admitting me into the piscine – I was told I was the last person to be admitted into the inaugural batch! The pedagogy at 42 Singapore is truly progressive. It has been the most rewarding and fulfilling experience for me. 🎉
