While making the transition from being a student to being a fully-fledged professional is an incredibly exciting time in somebody's life, it can also be a nerve-wracking one. If, however, you prepare correctly for the move, there is nothing to worry about. Here are a few tips to start your professional life on the right foot.

Prepare for a lot more diversity

In university or college, you were most probably surrounded by people who were around your age group and, quite possibly, from very similar backgrounds as yourself. In the workplace, things will not be so uniform.

You are likely to be working at close quarters with people of all sorts of age groups and from all sorts of backgrounds, many of whom will have life experiences and resultant opinions on the world that you had never considered. For anybody who leaves third level education thinking they know it all, the sudden introduction to worldviews that are very distant from their own can be one of the most alarming and unexpected challenges.

Optimise your professional skills

While University is often focussed on the achievements and success of the individual, working environments are more often focussed upon the performance of the team. In order to succeed in such an environment, it is crucial you develop strong business skills.

This is not about getting everybody to see things your way. It is about being sensitive to other people's views on the project at hand. Listen to and learn from the people with more experience than you. Don't be shy about adding your own opinion to the mix, but think hard about it before you do.

Singaporefriendly suggest Singapore University and Colleges Graduates looking for Jobs signup on GradGreenhouse.com, a dedicated recruitment site for graduates based in Singapore, combining the latest technology with state of the art tools, including Video Interviewing.

Get ready for hard work

While beavering away at a degree and putting in long hours in the library, many students think that nobody in the world could possibly be dealing with an assignment the size of theirs or putting such a crazy amount of hours into their work. What they don't realise is that, in the real world, people spend 7 – 9 hours, 5 days a week, working their fingers to the bone in the pursuit of their careers.

The workload does not reduce when you complete your degree and enter the workforce: it either stays the same or enlarges, and you don't get to take a few hours off to watch a box set when you feel burned out. Get ready to push your stamina level to the maximum.

Make sure you get the best possible start to your professional life. Keep in mind these key tips and prepare yourself properly for your career path. 

Update 7 Dec 2022: We would like to inform you that The Peranakan Museum is currently under renovation, however, visitors can still pop by the Asian Civilisations Museum located just nearby - 1 Empress Pl, Singapore 179555.

Older original article: There is so much to see and do in Singapore that trying to cram it all into a short period of time can be quite tricky. However, this bustling city state on the southern tip of the Asian continent remains the destination of choice for many travelers looking for a weekend break.

Distilling all your possibilities into two or three days might seem as if you are letting yourself in for some overly frantic activity. But with careful planning, it is perfectly feasible to prepare an itinerary for a short spell in Singapore.

A good idea is to jump in at the deep end. Where possible, try to book a hotel that is near the centre of the city. Once you have checked in, exiting your hotel will launch you straight into the hustle and bustle of Singapore life. Head for Chinatown, where you have the opportunity to browse through dozens of interesting shops in a short distance. This is the perfect place to stop for lunch at one of the many chicken rice stalls (known locally as Tian Tian). If you are looking to savour Asian cuisine of a more substantial nature than fast-food, there are also some fabulous restaurants here. Especially recommended are the restaurants at Ann Siang Road and Bukit Pasoh. The good thing about Singapore banquets is that many of the rice and noodle-based dishes will not bag you up, enabling you to carry on with your activities without feeling too bloated.

To get the most out of your Singapore weekend break, the ideal time to be setting your alarm clock should be around seven or eight o'clock in the morning. Why not head out to Singapore Botanic Gardens where you can watch locals doing their daily exercises before taking breakfast at Casa Verde? Orchard Road is only a few bus stops away. where are you can indulge in some serious retail therapy. Within the many shopping malls there are also numerous places to eat, such as Crystal Jade or Din Tai Fung. These chains offer customers delicious noodles, dim sum and sundry other mouthwatering snacks. If you want to soak up some local culture, the Peranakan Museum is just round the corner. With an annual visitor tally of over 100,000 people, there are 10 galleries showcasing Peranakan culture (all about the descendants of 16th century Chinese immigrants).

For your final day you could go out with a bang, experiencing the riotous delights of Universal Studios and the Marine Life Park, one of the world's largest aquariums. With the latter, whether you decide to simply observe the marine creatures, or go swimming with dolphins, the experience will linger with you long after you've left Singapore.

Singapore may be thought of in many people's minds as a thriving metropolis, and location of one of the globe's key financial hubs, nevertheless there is far more to this Asian jewel. Its beaches are particularly impressive, well known to Singaporeans, and growing to be ever more appreciated by an increasing numbers of foreign visitors.

Sembawang Beach

Sembawang, a tranquil beach and park, stands on land once occupied by the British army. Indeed, the former colonial residence of Admiral Beaulieu stood here, at Sembawang Jetty, an austere building which has been lovingly restored. Thankfully, there is little evidence of its martial past, as locals congregate here to take advantage of its excellent leisure opportunities – for swimming, bathing, jogging, or simply relaxing and enjoying the restful ambience.

Senotosa Palawan

This beach is particularly popular as a weekend getaway spot. After a long week's toil in Singapore's commercial, financial and retail outlets, workers love making the short journey out to Senotosa Palawan to chill out. It is easily accessible, either by taking the Yellow Line bus to Dolphin Lagoon, next to the beach, hopping on the train from Tanjong Beach, or choosing from the Blue or Green Line buses to Siloso Beach then swapping to the Red Line.

This sandy beach offers superb walking opportunities, and is especially popular with dog walkers while enjoying the sunsets. The beach incudes a suspension boardwalk that will allow you to stroll to the southernmost point of the Asian continent. Surrounded by tall coconut trees and lush, fragrant shrubs, you'll find many perfect vantage points to relish the view over the South China Sea.

The beach also hosts two renowned bars – Bora Bora and Club Islander (Singapore's first ever beach club). The atmosphere is second to none, and as well as the stunning landscapes you can listen to jazz musicians while sampling Singapore Slings and other fabulous cocktails.

Sentosa Tanjong

Tanjong is often referred to as Singapore's finest. The waters are clear, the extensive sands uniformly golden, and the landscape is shrouded with nodding palm trees. While the beach is particularly peaceful during the daytime, things get a whole lot hotter after the sun has set. Many Ibiza and 'Zouk Out' parties have been hosted here over the years. The beach bar km8 resonates to pulsating dance rhythms as a succession of DJ's spin the discs, frequently augmented by percussive grooves on steel drums or bongos. What else? This beach bar boasts a 7.3 x 3.6 metre Jacuzzi on a raised wooden deck – you can't get a more temperature-rising attraction in any club than that!

Whether going to Singapore on holiday or for business, one common question arising is a fairly straightforward one. How good is its transport system? In fact, Singapore has a fully-integrated internal and external transportation network that is renowned.

Because Singapore itself lies on an island surrounded by more than 60 islets, the network utilizes road, rail and water services. One major method of moving smoothly from A to B is Singapore's rail system, Mass Rapid Transit (MRT). Opening in 1987, this metro system, South East Asia's second oldest after the LRT system in Manila, Philippines, has become the backbone of public transport in the metropolis.

(Note the image is from Japan.)

The average number of MRT passengers reached an incredible 2.6 million in 2012. Travelrs speed between 102 stations across 148.9 kilometres of track. Unlike other urban centres that are focused on functionality, the MRT is known for much of its quirkier station architecture. The artwork that is used in each station is specifically designed to reflect some aspects of its identity. For instance, the Expo Station, serving the Singapore Expo exhibition facility, boasts a sleek, ultra-modern titanium roof, resembling something from a science fiction film. Changi Airport station, the easternmost point of the network, has the widest platform of any of Singapore's stations. It has also been rated tenth out of the 15 most beautiful subway stations in the world.

Travelers wishing to take the short hop over to Sentosa or Jurong Island can make the most of Singapore's regular ferry services. In addition to internal links, Singapore has bridges spanning the short distance into neighbouring Malaysia: the 1,056-metre Causeway, and the 1,920-metre Second Link.

Singapore was one of the first countries in the world to pioneer the use of toll roads, a development that became more necessary as the city grew ever congested. The toll is collected electronically. There are nine expressways traversing Singapore, allowing traffic to run smoothly across the city state. It is worthwhile noting that as with most Commonwealth countries, traffic in Singapore drives on the left-hand side.

Singapore also boasts a popular cable car system, running between Mount Faber on the main island and the Sentosa resort (site of two golf courses, five-star hotels, Resorts World Sentosa and Universal Studios Singapore).

There are two bus networks: SBS and SMRT. The larger one, SBS, plies over 300 routes, with a fleet of more than 3,000 buses. SMRT run 900 buses over 100 routes. In addition, Singapore is well served with taxis. At least half the population of Singapore use its public transport system on a daily basis.