MPI Accounting Alumnus Credits MPI for Business Success

Whether it is in community work or as productive members of society—as employees or in ways that students are passionate about.

For Sylvester Ling Ee Siong, 39, it was to become a businessman. With no one in his family involved in business, he said MPI gave him the courage and confidence to venture into one.

According to Ling, after graduating from Catholic High School in 2004, he enrolled in the Diploma in Accounting programme at MPI.

“It was my choice. I’ve always been interested in accounting, and I believe that all businesses must have their own proper accounts, and I thought accounting is the most important element in business“.

“I thought at that time, if I wanted to start my own business, then I needed to know some accounting knowledge and skills,” he said, adding that he took accounting as a subject while in middle school“.

After graduating with the Diploma in 2009, he landed a job as a stock controller in one of the companies in Sibu. He worked there for about 10 years.

He said during those 10 years, he was involved in management, administration, and did a little bit of accounting, though not fully.

“The Diploma in fact really helped me in this. To be able to do this, you need some basics and in MPI, even though I took a Diploma in Accounting, I also learned about business management which was very beneficial for me,” he enthused.

Then, in 2018, Ling decided to quit his job and start his own business in the food distribution industry.

Today, his business is thriving, and he believes it will continue to thrive as long as he remains committed and stays innovative in his business.

Asked what his experience was like at MPI, he said he had a lot of memorable times while there.

“I met some friends and at MPI, all the lecturers are very good. They make sure that we understand the subjects and they are quite patient in teaching us.“

“I also remember they used to have a charity fair before; I was in the Leo Club. I can say that I was quite active at certain times,” he said.

According to him, he had to take leave from his studies for about a year as he was sick and had to undergo treatment in Sibu.

However, he said despite not attending classes for at least two semesters, he was able to catch up very quickly and managed to graduate with flying colours the next year.

Ling, who is now married with two daughters, said the overall study experience was not difficult, except that the exams could be a challenge.

“And also, for some of the reports and assignments, we needed to use English, so that was quite difficult for me. I would go online and try to find references. That’s how I caught up too,” he said.

Ling’s sisters were also students of MPI. One took business while the other, like him, studied accountancy.

“I would say, if you are interested in accounting, you can consider MPI. Not only are the lecturers very patient in teaching you, but also MPI is a well-established tertiary institution and has a strong foundation in accountancy,” he said.