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Episode 2: Women in Publishing

Ruhie Jamshaid shares her journey in the industry and her memories across the regions she lived and worked in. The episode focuses on the women in publishing and the key lessons learned, while exploring the key differences in workplace cultures around the world.

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Transcript

Section 1: Entering the Education Industry	0:30	Hi, welcome to the Teaching Point.
	0:32	And for today's episode, we have Miss Ruhie here right from Marshall Cavendish Education and she'll be talking a little bit more about publishing and specifically women in publishing and what the different trajectory, how the roles, you know, have progressed from the past till now?
	0:49	And especially what is the journey and experiences of Ruhie herself? Hi, Ruhie. Hi, Shahidah. How are you today? I'm fine. Thank you for having me.
	0:58	For our first segment on, you know, how you had entered the publishing world
	1:05	Could you describe a little bit more about, you know, your first day in an editorial role?
	1:10	Sure. You know, actually when I think about it, it's quite funny really. I remember entering the publishing company and I was sitting down, and a stack of books were passed to me and I had to scribble. There were lots of annotations that I had to learn about how to, you know, edit a book, proofread a book. So I think that's where the memories are, right? I mean, looking at the stack of books. Could you describe maybe some of the titles or some of the subjects that you had first focused on at the start of your career?
	1:49	Interestingly, I think the first set of books that I had to work on were math titles. So it was quite interesting because that was not really my favourite subject at school, but that's where I started.

	2:04	So when you when you first got on to, you know, understanding like you have to talk about maths, you have to you have to work on maths textbooks. What were some of the tough experiences that you face, you know, as you stumble?
	2:18	I'm pretty sure you know, when you're in your first job, you would first make a few mistakes.
	2:23	And you know, what were some learning curves when you first entered into the publishing world?
	2:29	I think, you know, generally there, there's always a very dynamic curve when you're a new entry into the workplace, right? So everything was from scratch. Luckily, I had a good mentor and I was guided well. And I think that thing that worked for me was my passion for education.
	2:49	I could embrace all the challenges no matter what because I enjoyed no matter what the subject. I knew that the aim of what I was doing was to get education, you know, in the right way to the kids out there. So I was happy to come on board and learn what I needed to. Thank you.
	3:07	Ruhi, specifically when you mentioned you had a good mentor and you know, you loved education, perhaps could you walk us through the role that you had specifically? So maybe like, what were your main tasks within your first job in that sense?
	3:25	I mean, of course, I started as a junior editor, right? So I was really the person who would be doing the basics things like making sure I'm proofreading stuff and, you know, just liaising for the manager. So it was really very basic in the beginning, right from scratch.
	3:43	So if I, you know, there was someone who wanted to join, like there was a young woman who wanted to join publishing for the very first time, what would you advise, What would be an crucial advice that you would give her in terms of her first few years as she discovers publishing for the first time?
	4:04	I think I would tell her that, you know, resilience is very important.
	4:08	Publishing is not an easy industry to be in.
	4:12	It requires a lot of resilience, willingness to learn and patience, right. As you go on that wonderful journey.
	4:20	I would say, I think resilience is really key because you, you never stop learning, even if in your, you know, you're in the same role, you never stop learning in terms of the industry that you're in.
	4:31	That's right.
	4:32	Education still impacts not just Singaporeans, but those overseas.
	4:36	That's right.
	4:37	And for me, I think it was just having a conversation with the team and I realised that education was a very interesting and still thriving industry. But for yourself, could you maybe describe, you know, your first few years of why you had chosen Marshall Cavendish Education as your next top? Or based on that point in time, you know, why did you choose to join Marshall Cavendish Education?
	5:01	So I'll be very honest with you, it was a very impromptu decision. I remembered, I was about to come back to Singapore from Dubai, where I was based at that time, and I was coming back home to Singapore and I remember sitting at a cafe in Dubai in the mall.
	5:18	And I was like, OK, something just popped up on my screen on the computer and I said, let me find out more.
	5:25	And it was very interesting to know that Marshall Cavendish marries education and publishing, 2 things that I love so much.
	5:36	And it's very internationalised.
	5:38	So it goes with, you know, what was, I guess, something that I appreciated. So there's education, there's publishing, and that's internationalization. So I thought, OK, it could be interesting to do some projects with this company. And so here I am.
	5:55	And I think definitely, given the fact that you have had experience, you know, in Dubai with publishing, it does lend a little more experience and it becomes a lot more valuable because, you know, some of the regions that we had later on expanded to included the Middle East. That's right, right. So it definitely helped, you know, marry the needs and requirements of students not only in Singapore, but also, you know, overseas as well. Yes. So it was very interesting.
	6:24	I guess I was here at the right time, at the right moment. You know, it was just the stars aligning, if you will. So it fitted in very well. I think my experience could contribute significantly to Marshall Cavendish and I guess their vision also was on par, I mean, was aligned to what I feel personally, you know, that that passion for education and books and all of that, it just came together very nicely.
Section 2: The Regions and the Landscape of Education	6:54	OK, we saw moving on to, you know, the next part where we talk about a little bit more the differences between working and even staying in, you know, the UAE in Dubai versus in Singapore.
	7:04	Could you maybe share some of the experiences you've had in UAE specifically, specifically in Dubai And you know, how was it like working with the schools there and how were the students there in general?
	7:17	Well, I can say that it's been a wonderful experience.
	7:21	I think one of the best decisions I made in my life was to actually explore and go to uncharted territories and, you know, experience a very different world out there.
	7:34	So overall, I would say that there's a world of difference.
	7:37	I know there is a perception that the two countries are pretty similar, but having lived there for a long time, I can tell you that there's a whole lot of difference there.
	7:48	In many ways, I think Singapore is more, you know, work orientated.
	7:57	I think that they're very pragmatic here.
	8:00	We look at the practical side of things and all of that.
	8:04	In the UAE, I think there's a lot of focus on family balance, you know, family work balance.
	8:12	I think people when it's holidays, people will just disappear.
	8:17	So that was very intriguing for me because it was like you can't contact them even no matter what, you know, and, and people are just off the radar.
	8:26	It's time for holidays.
	8:27	That's actually nice though.
	8:29	It was nice.
	8:30	It was, it was something different.
	8:31	But yes, it was nice in its own way.
	8:34	And I mean, they're pluses and you know, minuses everywhere, pros and cons.
	8:38	And I mean, it's just fascinating what sides of the places.
	8:43	So I have an interesting question.
	8:45	So let's see if you could, you know, let's say you had a legal contact to it, how, what would, what are the aspects of like Singapore education would you like to retain?
	8:54	And what are the aspects of all Singapore work life balance as well as the ones from Dubai?
	8:59	Like how would you put that into the perfect mesh of especially for in case of a woman, what will be that perfect combination?
	9:10	I think that what I think the the work at those that we have here should be retained the professionalism that we practice.
	9:20	I mean, people are very professional there as well.
	9:22	But I think there is that extra, you know, focus on, on efficiency and doing things very perfectly and well here, which I think is a good thing.
	9:34	But one thing that we might want to adjust and take from the UAE is that family work balance thing.
	9:43	There are certain timings
	9:45	It's good to kind of distress and just put a stop to it.
	9:48	I think we are so passionate about our work that sometimes it seeps into, you know, the off working hours.
	9:56	So I think that part could be retained.
	9:58	I think the focus on family time, the focus on, you know, going out there, being more social, I think that could be incorporated a little bit more this side of town.
	10:11	Yeah.
	10:14	So I mean, I totally agree with you.
	10:15	I think that, you know, sometimes when you really want to push, when push comes to shove, I think being in Singapore and especially when you have a great working environment, you always tend to want to do more.
	10:26	That's right.
	10:28	And then, you know, but then you have to be, I think, but I think progressively as a country and even as organization post pandemic, everybody has understood the importance of maintaining that family time.
	10:42	So you do see that, you know, hybrid working environment.
	10:45	That's right.
	10:46	It has helped, yeah.
	10:47	It become quite essential actually, because people then would understand, you know, this is a way for them to balance and it makes them more excited to work.
	10:56	That's right, Able to navigate that time, correct.
	10:59	Correct.
	11:00	You appreciate it a lot more.
	11:02	If there was one thing that you found useful from staying and working in Dubai, in Singapore, what would that be?
	11:10	Yes, I think one amazing thing I learned is that people elsewhere learn differently from us.
	11:17	I think being in classrooms, interacting with teachers, it really opened up my eyes that oh, OK, the way the they won the curriculum design is very different from what we are used to or what I have consumed in my education.
	11:34	And that was really, really useful.
	11:36	I think I'm bringing that back to my work as well because that exposure to understand that what kind of support a teacher might need, what kind of support a student might need, what kind of things the school leaders out there are looking for. I think that if I did not have that exposure, I wouldn't be aware and I would assume that everything works like the way Singapore does. So that was that eye-opening experience. Definitely helps me.
	12:06	I think that that is definitely essential because knowing that you know every student now, especially nowadays where every student, every teacher actually has complex needs, right? That's right. Every learning solution has to be tailored. So there are governances and there are, you know, certain social norms or societal norms That's right, for every country. But I think whenever we traditionally learn things, we always assume it to be a blank canvas and we just put on something theoretical.
	12:33	That's right versus practical experience, right versus us actually applying it in real life and understanding, you know, how even digitalization can be a big problem in other countries.
	12:45	That's right. Or even the receptiveness of teachers, the growth of students and how it's being marked as important, how the level of importance is given in different regions is also something that plays a part in creating solutions.
	13:01	That's right. So I think I would say if I had to put it in a nutshell, the adaptability, the sense of adaptability, flexibility that I have learnt to imbibe in my work. It does come from my experience in the UAE, yes.
	13:20	So if let's say, because you know, there are younger women out there who maybe have had, you know, a couple of years working in Singapore and want to try moving to a new country. What would be one key advice that you would provide them? I would tell them go for it for sure. Because I can tell you that that gives you an edge. You are definitely, you know, giving yourself that distinction by having that international exposure. I've always believed travelling, going out there, meeting people, it makes you grow, it adds to your growth. So you differentiate yourself from your peers even career-wise, right? You are able to, that experience contributes back to your country when you come back.
	14:09	So it adds value. I would say go for it for sure.
	14:12	I mean, I agree with you because even working with different regions while you're in Singapore, it gives you the exposure. So what more than providing yourself the opportunity to place yourself in another unknown terrain, right? And it truly builds yourself, right? If I think if you don't swim, you sink and that's kind of driving you the key essentials and then that helps you, you know, create leadership through quality.
	14:37	That's right. You know, how do you plan yourself properly? How do you take care of yourself? You know, what are your parameters of safety? And I think you build character. So, so I totally agree.
	14:47	That's right. So I, I feel that every young woman or any woman out there, you need to come out of your comfort zone and that's where the growth happens for sure.
Section 3: Fostering the Future Women in Publishing	14:57	So here we doing our final segment.
	15:03	Maybe I could, you know, just round up a couple of questions for us.
	15:07	And the first one being that given that you've been in the education and non-education, the publishing industry for, you know, many years, what made you decide that it was the industry of choice for yourself?
	15:23	You know, it's very interesting. I come from a science background.
	15:28	I've done microbiology and while I enjoyed learning the subject, I think I realized very long back that being in the lab is not for me.
	15:40	So I think that was a step one And the other thing, right from very early on, right, I was a person who enjoyed being surrounded by books. I loved being in a bookshop. I loved being in a library. So if you give me a choice of, you know, go to a mall and shop or would you like to sit down in a bookshop, I think I would run for the second choice.
	16:08	And, really I don't know, it's the smell of paper. It's the words all around. It just makes me very happy. So it was a natural inclination. So if I'm not doing science, I mean I'm not working in the lab, I'm not in the life sciences, what do I do? I will get a good combination of the two, I guess.
	16:31	I go and edit science books then, right. So I go into(publishing). So that was the natural way for me forward. That makes sense, I suppose. Yes.
	16:41	A little bit of a probing question that I have is given that, you know, you mentioned about books being in central part of the decision, why you chose, you know, publishing and now that books or print materials have been in of a decline, maybe not in education, but you definitely see in other forms of publishing, right? So, for example, I used to think that I wanted to be in magazine industry for me, many, many years ago. I started there and I realized that even when I was as a teenager, you know, the decline was already happening. And do you foresee that there is something to worry about or that there is a factor that may impact people who want to join publishing?
	17:25	Well, you know, when you look at publishing, I think the definition has changed today. The books were a mode of getting content to people. So now the mode has changed or it is changing, but the essence of what it is to create content remains. So publishing, when you say publishing, it does not necessarily have to be via books, right? It's the content that you are publishing. That's true. So there is a different definition now, but pretty much the same essence.
	18:01	Yeah, I agree. Because I think that, you know, given that the younger generation, they're a lot more inclined, they're a lot more savvy in terms of technological platforms. And that's right. They retain information faster, but they retain smaller bite size. Yes. Whereas, you know, previously, my mom had the huge encyclopaedia she bought from the salesman.
	18:23	And you know, you would as a kid, flip through it.
	18:25	But I don’t think any 10-year-old would ever do that again. So I agree, I think that as long as we're able to tailor the mode, but the essence of the content, we mean, that's right.
	18:39	So given that, you know, we've talked about digitalisation, you know, and what do you think are the pivotal industry shifts in publishing itself or even in education for that matter?
	18:49	They allowed for more growth in women pertaining to, you know, career growth or even growth in terms of contribution. You know, it's very interesting. I was reflecting, I mean, on this topic for a while now and I realized that the biggest change that has come for women in publishing is actually COVID
	19:10	You know, it's very funny because publishing is a very timeline, deadline driven industry and being a woman who has to handle her family, you know, her mom, dad, kids, whatnot's husband, you know, so I think that what COVID has done is to enable women in publishing to have a good balance.
	19:37	They're able to now balance because of that, people have realized that we can continue to work, you know, from home, have a balanced work life schedule. So it gives a good balance. So I think I would say it was the COVID that really was the shift in in enabling women to become more involved in publishing to accommodate their requirements and help them to grow while balancing their home.
	20:05	You know, we've mentioned about the shifts between the pivotal shifts in an industry essence how they allow for more growth in women.
	20:14	Given that you've had, you know, a lot of achievements without stamping blocks in your career as well and to where you're able to rise up to where you are now, who had been a key role model for yourself? Well, to be honest, any woman who has who has been in a leadership role, right, especially in a male-dominated society or context, is an inspiration for me.
	20:41	So I remember as a kid I really enjoyed reading autobiographies. I still do very much and I always read autobiographies of strong women leaders. So I remember reading about Margaret Thatcher and thinking to myself, wow, how did she rise to that rank?
	21:01	Right. And has done such a good job of her role. And you know, I've read a lot of biographies that inspire me, Indra Gandhi, you know, Michelle Obama recently. And in fact, right now I'm reading an autobiography by Indra Nui
	21:21	She's very inspirational because she often talks about how to balance her role as a leader and with the family. So it's wonderful to gain inspiration from them. So, you know, it's interesting because women probably have that edge over men, although they may not realize it because we have to multitask a lot. So we bring that knowledge and that skill of multitasking to our careers.
	21:51	And again, in publishing, which is so demanding with timelines and we have to think of many factors. I think it's actually an asset to be a woman here and to able to apply that skill of multitasking and organizing time and interpersonal relationships. All of that adds to publishing. I agree.
	22:14	I think having that ability to multitask or have, you know, multiple thoughts in your head, you're having multiple conversations, you know, on the computer, someone coming, that's right, you know how it is.
	22:28	But I think this has been a very enriching, if not, at least I think I there's a lot of conversations and a lot of thoughts that I'm able to resonate with today's topic.
	22:37	So thank you so much. Thank you Shahidah. It was nice. It was fun to have this chat.

More about our guest below

Ms. Ruhie Jamshaid

Ruhie has more than 15 years of experience in publishing, curriculum design and teacher training. She has led transformation in teaching and learning in international schools. Ruhie's work focuses on conceptualisation and development of educational instructional materials (print and digital) for international markets. In her time, Ruhie has worked with authors and industry experts across the globe.