Chase the dream: Quek Yang Sheng

Mobile applications are part of our everyday lives. We use them to get information, socialise and entertain ourselves. However, Quek Yang Sheng, 26, Infocomm Technology (IT) Youth Award recipient tells Youth.SG that mobile apps and IT have the power to change society.

It was when Yang Sheng interned for Rockmoon Pte Ltd during his Institute of Technical Education (ITE) days that he realised the power of IT. Together with fellow interns, he developed an app for the classroom that facilitated discussions and collaboration.

The epiphany of the IT’s impact on society lit a fire under Yang Sheng.

He went on to create a workshop with the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) called Build Your Own App. The workshop taught kids how to make their own apps without coding, making the process simpler and more fun. This taught CDAC beneficiaries the basic skills and helped them to discover and develop their talent. The cause was made more meaningful when Yang Sheng gave back to CDAC as he was also a beneficiary of CDAC.

“I felt there was a need to give back to society because it was society that helped you along the way,” Yang Sheng’s words struck a chord in me.

Yang Sheng is currently working on a Coordinated Assistance Network mobile app for the North East Community Development Council (CDC). The app digitises paperwork for community workers, making it easier when they do house visits.

Yang Sheng joined StarHub after completing National Service. His colleagues advised him and gave him motivation to further his studies in Temasek Polytechnic (TP).

“It was the first time I heeded someone’s advice and it was like a leap of faith because I did not like to study. I was lucky to get a place and I told myself, these three years, it’s either I make it or break it,” Yang Sheng said.

Not only did he make it, he made it big. He graduated top of his cohort and received a gold medal in his diploma in Mobile & Network services.  To add on to his laurels, he was awarded IT Youth of the Year by Singapore Computer Society (SCS).

“It was a really big surprise, I felt really honoured. It shows the SCS’ effort to try and recognise and honour the people who are striving and working hard to contribute in this field,” said Yang Sheng.

The award is a much-needed validation of Yang Sheng’s work and attitude to pursue IT as a career.

“I must say I’ve been getting a lot of advice to pursue something else, the usual paths, businesses or finance. At one point in time, I was pressured to take that up as an option but thankfully I didn’t really deviate. Now with that award I hope to inspire more youths to consider a career in IT,” he added.

Yang Sheng is now pursuing a Bachelor in Computing in Computer Science at the National University of Singapore (NUS) that could catapult him to even greater heights.