Darren Chua’s Transformation From Intern to Statistician
19 August 2025
Why This Internship Mattered
Q: Where did you intern and what motivated you to apply?
A: I interned at the Department of Statistics for six months. I was a Cloud Intern in the Household Income and Population department. I was responsible for Web Application Development, AWS Services Integration and Process Automation.
The cloud internship with the Department of Statistics inspired me because it aligned with my goal of gaining industry experience. I believed that the opportunity to work on challenging, real-world projects would strengthen my technical portfolio while providing invaluable professional development.
Q: What are you most proud of from this experience?
A: I am most proud of how I transformed a challenging situation into an opportunity for exceptional growth. When I realised my supervisors had a different set of technical expertise, instead of becoming discouraged, I embraced the chance to become truly self-directed.
Taking ownership of my learning pace, setting my development timeline, and successfully delivering a complex project without traditional technical mentorship demonstrates resilience I did not know I possessed.
Challenges and Growth with Learning on the Job
Q: What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
A: My main challenge was navigating a role where I worked with different technical expertise than my supervisors. While a big challenge, this created an opportunity for independent growth, allowing me to set my own learning pace and develop strong self-direction skills throughout the internship.
Q: What was the most meaningful or memorable moment during your internship?
A: The most memorable moment was presenting six months of work to department directors. Showcasing the culmination of six months of work and receiving their feedback was incredibly rewarding, as it validated my growth and efforts throughout the internship.
Applying What I Learned from SIM to the Workplace
Q: How did your SIM coursework or lessons help you prepare for the challenges of your internship?
A: My computer science coursework provided essential problem-solving frameworks and project management skills that I applied to my internship. My course taught me to break down complex problems systematically, work independently on long-term projects, and adapt quickly to new technologies, which are skills that became important when facing new challenges during my internship.
Q: How did your internship help you grow in the areas of Head, Heart, and Hands?
A: Head (Knowledge & Thinking Skills): I improved my analytical and problem-solving skills by working independently on complex web development tasks and researching solutions on my own.
Heart (Values & Self-Awareness): I grew in self-direction and resilience, learning to adapt and communicate clearly while working with supervisors from different technical backgrounds.
Hands (Applied Skills): I gained hands-on experience with Python, web development, and project management and applying classroom knowledge to real-world scenarios effectively.
Q: How do you think these will help you succeed in your future career?
A: The combined skills will help to create a strong foundation for career success in tech. The analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities (Head) will help me to tackle complex technical challenges and make sound decisions in fast-paced environments.
The self-awareness and adaptability (Heart) will enable me to work effectively with diverse teams, communicate across different technical levels, and continuously grow as technology evolves. The practical skills and project experience (Hands) will provide concrete evidence of my capabilities to potential employers and give me the confidence to take on challenging roles.
Recognition and Advice
Q: What does receiving the SIM WILL Award mean to you?
A: I believe that receiving the SIM WILL Award will represent the validation of my growth and resilience throughout my internship journey. It acknowledges not just my technical achievements, but also my ability to navigate challenges, work independently, and deliver meaningful results despite obstacles. This award symbolises my transformation from being just a student relying on guidance to a self-directed professional capable of creating industry-level solutions.
Q: What advice would you give to students who are unsure about taking up an internship?
A: Take the leap and just go for it, even if the opportunity doesn't seem perfect or if you feel unprepared. Internships provide irreplaceable real-world experiences that no classroom can replicate. Don't wait until you feel "ready enough"; embrace the challenges as growth opportunities rather than obstacles.
About the SIM Work-Integrated Learning for Life (WILL) Award
The SIM Work-Integrated Learning for Life Award aims to provide real-world learning experiences where SIM students can develop holistically, and deepen their cognitive (Head), affective (Heart), and psychomotor (Hands) capacities for good work. It does this through offering a variety of high-quality opportunities for work-integrated learning.