Even cancer can't stop him
Yesterday was national engineers Day. CHERYL YING (yinghqc@sph.com.sg) asks two engineers what they love about their job
He was fresh out of university and ready to take on the world when he was faced with the biggest battle of his life.
Soon after graduating from the University of Queensland in 2010 with a degree in chemical engineering, Mr Lim Zi Yang was diagnosed with cancer.
"There were tumours compressing my spinal cord," says the 30-year-old, who underwent nine sessions of chemotherapy.
"But the doctor said I was lucky because if my spinal cord was fully compressed, my lower body would be paralysed for the rest of my life."
While in remission, Sembcorp took a chance on him and hired him as a metering engineer in 2011.
Now, the assistant manager for power operations finds satisfaction working with the operations, maintenance and business departments.
Other than working on the ground, he is the go-to person to analyse trend data and come up with methods to optimise the plants.
HIS 'BABY'
Mr Lim used to be a plant engineer at the newly developed Sembcorp Woodchip Boiler Plant, where waste wood is used to generate steam.
The plant on Jurong Island is part of Sembcorp's strategy to expand its renewable energy portfolio.
He says: "It was like my baby, and I watched it grow.
"Other than just seeing numbers, I managed a team of technicians. We worked together with the maintenance team, and the plant was our result."
In his free time, Mr Lim enjoys playing computer games and once considered becoming a professional gamer.
The sports enthusiast also often volunteers to plan basketball and badminton tournaments for his colleagues.
Excited to see how new technologies will be incorporated into energy plants in the coming years, he urges those who have a passion for finding out how things work to take on engineering.
"What you study in school is just the tip of the iceberg," he says.
"There is so much to see and learn. It is a never-ending learning journey."
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