Only a week after her final exams, Ms Ashiviny Rajendran, 19, began working full time at aAdvantage Consulting Group.
But she already had a foot in the door, having worked there for 20 weeks as a management intern while she was a student.
"They asked if I would consider returning full time," said the Republic Polytechnic (RP) graduate, who went through four rounds of interviews to get the job.
Ms Rajendran is among the pioneer graduates of RP's Diploma in Human Resource Management with Psychology (DHRMP) programme.
As an intern, she said, she helped guide the company in changing its core values, and trained its employees in working towards those values as well.
Now, she will continue to further her studies even while she works, through the SkillsFuture Earn and Learn Programme.
"We want to inculcate the mindset that learning doesn't stop, and develop discipline through allowing them to juggle multiple roles," said her lecturer and programme chair of the DHRMP course, Ms Beatrice Tan.
aAdvantage Consulting Group is sponsoring her studies towards a Specialist Diploma in Human Capital Management.
The school's valedictorian, Ms Kristina Manik, 19, who also graduated from the DHRMP course, agreed there was only so much that teachers can impart.
"We have to remain adaptable. Look at the problem you have, see it positively, take one step back and learn again," said Ms Manik, who, through short internships in her three-year course, learnt to interact with clients, interview employees and even help launch a regional human resource project with a multinational corporation.
Winnie Tan