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17 minute read

July 3, 2025

Pathway to Career Success: How this Singaporean Went From Driving to Data Analytics

The path of change is never easy. Vinoth Nanda Kumar shares how he went from being a private-hire driver to better employment prospects in data analytics.

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Pathway to Career Success: From Driving to Data Analytics

Watch The Full Video Interview Here!

It’s known that doing well in any job is down to aptitude and attitude – a good mix of both having the right skills, and the right mentality for the role.

In that regard, one would certainly give Vinoth Nanda Kumar maximum marks for getting into his current position as a Business Intelligence Developer at the Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS) earlier this year.

He’s come a long way from being a logistics coordinator in 2015, where he managed a warehouse and lead a team of warehouse assistants, and after losing that job, as a private-hire driver for five years to keep the family finances going.

When it comes to aptitude, Vinoth certainly made sure he acquired the right skills, graduating from a SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme (SCTP) for Junior Data Engineers.

The course, offered by Generation Singapore in collaboration with Microsoft and Temasek Polytechnic, was paid for in full using his SkillsFuture Credit (Mid-Career) top-up.

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Vinoth also continued his journey of life-long learning after that. He enrolled in a part-time degree in Business Analytics at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, with the goal to continue improving his employment prospects in the field of data analytics, even after he secured a role in the industry.

Attitude-wise, Vinoth’s passion for data analytics was kicked off by his love for football, where he even developed a dashboard to do predictive analysis of his amateur team’s performances.

“Football analytics was very interesting to me as I play football leisurely.”

“By combining with my tendency to identify trends and patterns to allow myself to work smarter rather than harder, it has pushed me to look at data analytics as an area where I could upskill myself,” he revealed.

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We won’t lie – the journey can be rough

But make no mistake, Vinoth’s journey was definitely a hard slog, especially when it came to “going back to school” as an adult. He juggled his courses while working as a private-hire driver, driving outside the course-times of Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm.

Of course, for those looking to make the same journey as he had, support is there, he shared.

“Some of my group mates were understanding enough to know that I am juggling multiple roles.”

“While I may have been late to some classes, I always ensured that I was caught up with the lessons or theories which would later be used in our projects.”

“My instructor, Christine, was also aware of this, and I looked to her for advice on matters which I was not able to solve or understand!”

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Not an easy journey, but perseverance is key

Vinoth revealed he had applied for 250 jobs in two months, and received many rejection letters even after completing the Junior Data Engineers career transition programme.

But ultimately his positive attitude paid off, when he received an offer from his current employer.

“It had been very long since I attended interviews and I lacked practice,” he admitted.

“Also, I was very anxious as I did not want to jeopardise my chances at being able to get full-time employment in a preferred role!”

But thanks to support from friends and family, he was ultimately able to calm down and perform well during his interviews.

His final advice for Singaporeans who are considering shaking up their own career path or doing courses to advance their own career health and prospects: It’s a marathon, not a race.

Vinoth concluded: “Make sure you have passion. There must be a reason as to why you are interested in career transitioning or choosing a different career path.”

“It will be difficult to maintain your motivation levels to a high level to push yourself to continue to learn without passion as a fuel!”

For more insights on making a successful career switch, and reskilling and upskilling towards your career goals, watch the full interview with Vinoth!

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