41-year-old woman signs on SAF, enters OCS, and will kick your butt at IPPT

Last Updated on 2016-05-18 , 3:51 pm

Wearing the Army Number 4 uniform, you would be forgiven for thinking that 41-year-old Goh Mei Lan is a “calefare” taking part in the filming of some new BMT movie. I hate to burst your bubble – sorry, there isn’t Ah Girls to Women coming to you soon.

It was in her late 30s when Goh saw a recruitment advertisement for women in the SAF while flipping through the newspaper. Citing the lack of growth opportunities in her previous sales job, she described how she secretly went down for the recruitment exercise.

“I didn’t even tell my husband and son about it; I just sneaked off when my son was having lessons, and headed to Suntec to have a look. I wanted to find out if they had anything for a woman who was in her late 30s,”Military Expert 4 Goh told Cyberpioneer.

As an Army Engineer under the Military Domain Expert Scheme (MDES), Goh can look forward to a career up to 60 years old.

Here’s something that will make you cower in shame: She obtained Gold in all three IPPTs during BMT.

Joining the army isn’t the only inspirational thing Goh has done. She also did her               university degree at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) at the age of 33.

Her advice for those considering a mid-career switch is as applicable to any one of us: “Never be fearful to step into the unknown. Pursue what you desire, and if you face obstacles, just keep on trying till you succeed.”

We wish our Singaporean Iron Lady all the best in OCS.