史丹福博士星洲摣的士 (Stanford Ph.D. drives taxi in Singapore)

Oriental Daily News,

    博客訴心曲 網上熱爆

一名華人擁有世界頂尖學府之一——美國史丹福大學的博士學位，曾在諾貝爾得獎者指導下進行研究，並在新加坡擔任分子及生物細胞研究員達十六年之久，但去年被裁退後一直找不到工作，結果轉行摣的士。自他於年初設博客後，其轉職成為網上熱話，有學生對他的境況表示心痛。

新加坡媒體報道，出生於中國的蔡明傑（譯音，Cai Ming Jie），一九九○年在美國史丹福大學取得分子生物的博士學位，畢業後在○一年諾貝爾物理學獎得主、著名基因學家哈特韋爾教授指導下，於華盛頓大學擔任了兩年的博士後研究員。

後來蔡明傑移居新加坡，於新加坡科技研究局（A*Star）的分子與生物細胞研究院（IMCB）中，擔任首席研究員達十六年之久，他同時於新加坡國立大學生物化學係擔任助理教授，指導學生作分子及生物細胞研究。

博客訴心曲 網上熱爆

去年五月，蔡明傑不獲A*Star續約，大學助理教授的工作亦於去年約滿，其後一直找不到工作，最後決定當的士司機，今年二月取得執照。蔡明傑後來設立博客，其職業的轉變旋即成為網上熱話，他表示自己可能是世界上唯一擁有史丹福大學博士學位的的士司機。

博客內有他摣的士的經驗，同時提及離開IMCB的事，但沒有太多內情。蔡明傑說：「的士業可能是新加坡目前仍不斷請人的行業。」蔡明傑提到曾於三星期內兩度與同一顧客相遇。該名顧客為與蔡明傑繼續交談，不惜讓的士一直行駛，好騰出多些時間，其後才返回目的地。蔡明傑亦曾遇上拒付附加費的乘客，令他有點不知所措，兼遭粗言穢語相待，幸好其中一名乘客肯支付費用而了事。

新加坡著名填詞人小寒於其博客內表示，蔡明傑是她於大學二年級的導師，並指蔡明傑「被裁退的原因和他是華人，有很大的關係。」小寒寫道：「看到他樂天地訴說當的士司機的苦樂，我哭得很慘，好不心痛。」

本報綜合報道

本文連結: http://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/china_world/20090820/00180_001.html

擁有斯坦福大學博士學位 失業改行開出租車

曾在新加坡科研局任首席研究員　博士失業改行駕的士 （新加坡19日訊）博士失業，改行駕的士。 一名男子在博客中透露，他擁有美國斯坦福大學博士學位，曾在新加坡科技研究局（A*STAR）擔任首席研究員，自去年5月份合約被終止後，就一直找不到工作，於是決定轉行當的士司機。 自稱蔡明傑(譯音，Cai Ming Jie）的博士，在今年4月6日，以“一個新加坡的士司機的日記”為題目，開始在網上寫博客。 他說，他可能是世界上唯一擁有斯坦福大學博士學位的的士司機。 他聲稱，他在新加坡科技研究局的分子與生物細胞研究院(Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology，IMCB）擔任16年的首席研究員，可是卻在事業顛峰期離開研究工作，過後因為種種原因找不到合適的工作。 他聲稱，他是在2007年接到通知，指他的應聘合約將在2008年5月份被終止。他說，他被逼入窘境，因為這個年齡突然失業，是一場最糟的惡夢。 “我一直很努力找工作，寄出無數份履曆，包括本地大學、政府機構和私營公司，大多數都石沉大海，隻有少數回應，可是卻沒有結果。” 經濟蕭條，令他更難找到工作。去年11月，也就是離職半年後，他決定當的士司機。 他去年12月份報讀的士司機課程，今年2月份，終於取得執照。 他在博客中也感謝家人的支持和信任，不斷在他身邊鼓勵他，讓他有推動力繼續下去。 著名作詞人小寒眼中　他是幽默的科研導師 新加坡著名作詞人小寒說，改行當的士司機博士，是她念大學二年級的科研導師。 小寒在接受記者電訪時說，她念大二時，在A*STAR實習時的科研導師，是A*STAR研究小組的總組長蔡明傑。 “蔡博士原籍中國，目前已入籍新加坡。在我的印象中，他斯斯文文，長得蠻帥的，一頭白發，就是那種溫文爾雅的書生型男士。他發表過不少對學術界很有貢獻的文章，並且在酵母的抗癌蛋白研究上有很大的國際貢獻。” 她表示，蔡博士能在博客上用幽默的筆調苦中作樂，她讀後卻哭了。 能屈能伸精神可嘉　網民大讚蛻變能力 不少網民大讚蔡博士能屈能伸，精神可嘉，勸他不要放棄希望，要樂觀麵對人生。 據記者瀏覽發現，許多網民都認為蔡博士在網上分享他駕的士的經驗很難得。有不少網友甚至希望搭到他的的士，聽他訴說他的經曆。 有人甚至提議他改行當補習老師。 “以你的學曆和經驗，為什麽不試試看教書或者當補習老師？” 一名自稱是“博士”同僚的男子看到他的博客後，感慨萬千，不過仍然鼓勵他說，科學家永遠有蛻變的能力，並且很佩服他大膽的決定，祝福他好運。 研究員是否被續約　是取決於幾個因素 A*Star發言人說，研究員是否會被續約，是取決於幾個因素，包括研究員花多少時間訓練博士生、研究員的表現，以及他在研究院和總體的貢獻。 發言人說，蔡博士的工作和A*Star其他研究員一樣，是由科學谘詢總會（Scientific Advisory Board,SAB）評估的，也是它們建議終止蔡博士的合約。 他說，分子與生物細胞研究院（IMCB）也讓另外3名獨立的專家鑒定蔡博士的工作表現，他們都支持科學谘詢總會的決定不續蔡博士的合約。 他說，他們給予蔡博士一年的時間，提供建議和援助，讓他另尋出路。 蔡博士證實是SMRT旗下的的士司機。 據了解，在網上發表博客的蔡博士是SMRT的的士司機，SMRT受詢時證實這點。 不過當記者要求訪問蔡博士時，他通過SMRT婉拒：“我要說的已經在博客上說了……” 寫博客大談乘客百態　申訴研究院不尊重科學家 被研究機構裁退後，改行當的士司機的蔡明傑博士還寫博客大談乘客百態，大受歡迎。 本地最近爆紅的博客寫手是蔡明傑博士（譯音）。他說，自己曾是本地分子與生物細胞研究院（IMCB）的研究人員，去年5月被裁退，11月當上SMRT的的士司機。 SMRT受詢時證實，蔡博士的確是他們旗下的司機，但蔡博士不願受訪，隻說：“要說的，我都寫在博客了，如果要問，你們應該去問研究院。” 他在博客上說，研究院原本的工作環境十分舒服，但最近換了新的一批領導人，他們不尊重科學家，也沒有領導經驗。領導層裁退了許多研究員，其中最早被裁掉的幾個人當中，就包括他這個“建國老臣”。 研究院屬於新加坡科技研究局（A＊Star）監管。 發言人受詢時說，所有研究員會不會被續約，都必須取決於好幾個因素，包括：他們對博士生的訓練、表現、對研究院的貢獻等等。 發言人說，建議解雇蔡博士的其實是指定的科學谘詢委員會，而且，另3名獨立專家審查後，也同意他不應該被續約。 他說，研究院給了蔡博士一整年的時間，以及不少資料與幫助，來找其他工作。 蔡博士卻稱，他一直找不到其他工作，為了養家，覺得加入“新加坡唯一還在積極招募人員的行業”就是的士司機。 他在今年4月開始寫博客，談他遇到的乘客，其中包括：流鶯、變性人、外國人等，他的博客文章受到許多人矚目。 他在博客上說，本月底他的的士約滿後，他會暫時專注於寫作，之後再繼續開的士.

Saturday August 29, 2009

Driven to driving a taxi despite having a PhD

INSIGHT DOWN SOUTH
By SEAH CHIANG NEE

Bio-chemist Dr Cai Mingjie who failed to land another research position after losing his job last year now happily prowls the streets as a cabbie.

SINGAPORE’S fraternity of taxi drivers, with its fair share of retrenched executives, has now an exalted new member – a PhD bio-chemist from Stanford University.

Prowling the streets of Singapore today is 57-year-old unemployed scientist Dr Cai Mingjie who lost his job at Singapore’s premier A-Star biomedical research institute last year.

The China-born naturalised citizen with 16 years of research accomplishments said he began driving a taxi last October after failed efforts to land another job.

The news shocked this nation, which holds an unshakable faith in the power of an advanced university education.

One surprised white-collar worker said he had believed that such a doctorate and experience was as good as life-long employment and success.

“If he has to drive a taxi, what chances do ordinary people like us have?” he asked.

I have met a number of highly qualified taxi drivers in recent years, including former managers and a retrenched engineer.

One cheerful driver – a former stock-broker – surprised me one day in giving me detailed reasons on what stocks to buy or avoid.

“At a time like this, the taxi business is probably the only business in Singapore that still actively recruits people,” said Dr Cai.

To me, his plight is taking Singapore into a new chapter.

“(I am) probably the only taxi driver in the world with a PhD from Stanford and a proven track record of scientific accomplishments ...,” blogged Dr Cai.

“I have been forced out of my research job at the height of my scientific career” and was unable to find another job “for reasons I can only describe as something uniquely Singapore”.

The story quickly spread far and wide over the Internet. Most Singaporeans expressed admiration for his ability to adapt so quickly to his new life. Two young Singaporeans asked for his taxi number, saying they would love to travel in his cab and talk to him.

“There’s so much he can pass on to me,” one said.

Others questioned why, despite his tremendous scientific experience, he is unable to find a teaching job.

His unhappy exit is generally attributed to a personal cause (he has alleged chaotic management by research heads) rather than any decline in Singapore’s bio-tech project, which appears to be surviving the downturn.

The case highlights a general weakening of the R and D (research and development) market in smallish Singapore.

“The bad economy means not many firms are hiring professional scientists,” one surfer said. “Academia isn’t much of a help – there’s a long history of too many PhDs chasing too few jobs.”

While the image of taxi drivers has received a tremendous boost, the same cannot be said of Singapore’s biomedical project – particularly its efforts to nourish home-grown research talent.

“It may turn more Singaporeans away from Life Sciences as a career,” said one blogger.

One writer said: “In my opinion, PhDs are useless, especially in Singapore. It’s just another certificate and doesn’t mean much.”

Another added: “The US is in a worse situation. Many are coming here to look for jobs.”

“I won’t want my child to study for years to end up driving a taxi,” said a housewife with a teenage daughter.

The naturalised Singaporean citizen underwent his PhD training at Stanford University, the majority of his work revolving around the study of yeast proteins.

His case is not unique. US research-scientist Douglas Prasher, who isolated the gene that creates the green fluorescent protein (and just missed the 2008 Chemistry Nobel Prize) faced similar straits.

Prasher moved from one research institution to another when his funding dried up, and he eventually quit science – to drive a courtesy shuttle in Alabama.

“Still, he remains humble and happy and seems content with his minivan driver job,” said a surfer.

With an evolving job market as more employers resort to multi-tasking and short-term contracts, more Singaporeans are chasing after split degrees, like accountancy and law or computer and business.

Others avoid post-graduate studies or specialised courses of a fixed discipline in favour of general or multi-discipline studies. “Experience is king” is the watchword; there has been a rush for no-pay internships.

“The future favours graduates with multiple skills and career flexibility, people who are able to adapt to different types of work,” one business executive said.

During the past few years, as globalisation deepened, there has been a growing disconnect between what Singaporeans studied in university and their subsequent careers.

It follows the trend in the developed world where old businesses disappear – almost overnight – and new ones spring up, which poses problems for graduates with an inflexible job expectation.

I know of a young man who graduated from one of America’s top civil engineering universities abandoning the construction hard hat for a teaching gown.

Another engineer I met is running his father’s lucrative coffee shop. Lawyers have become musicians or journalists, and so on.

Cases of people working in jobs unrelated to their university training have become so common that interviewers have stopped asking candidates questions like “Why should a trained scientist like you want to work as a junior executive with us?”

In the past, parents would crack their heads pondering what their children should study – accountancy or law or engineering, the so-called secure careers – and see them move single-mindedly into these professions.

A doctor was then a doctor, a biologist generally worked in the lab and a lawyer argued cases in courts – square pegs in square holes, so to speak.

Today the world is slowly moving away from this neat pattern.