PNS AND GUITAR PICKERS
Before entering the world of politics, Wong pursued a career as a civil servant (PNS) for 14 years.
He started working at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1997 before moving to the ministries of finance and health.
In 2005, Wong became the Prime Minister’s principal private secretary.
In 2008, he joined the Energy Markets Authority as deputy chief executive and was promoted to chief executive in 2009.
Two years later, he resigned from that post to enter politics as the youngest of five candidates predicted to form the core of the PAP’s 4G leadership.
The Straits Times once reported that Wong resigned from the public sector to enter politics a year before reaching 15 years of service. In Singapore, civil servants can apply for retirement after working in the government for 15 years.
“It’s a shame, but (retirement) was not a factor in my consideration at that time,” he said.
Describing his personal life, Wong said he grew up in an “ordinary family” in a government-subsidized Marine Parade apartment.
His late father was born on Hainan Island, China, and migrated to Malaysia as a child before finally landing in Singapore to work in marketing.
His mother was a teacher who according to Wong was a disciplinarian, both at school and at home. Several times in his interviews and speeches, Wong praised his mother for successfully carrying out her teaching duties while taking care of him and his siblings.
Wong is an alumnus of Haig Boys Primary School, where his mother taught. In his teens, he attended Tanjong Katong Secondary School, which he chose because it was close to his home, and then continued his studies at Victoria Junior College.
He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, United States. He obtained a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School, USA.
