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By CHEN JINGTING
BABYSITTER Yvonne Lee, 25, wants to be a healthcare worker and believes that a course in positive psychology will help improve her chances of getting that job.
Like her, retail executive Alex Tan plonked down over $2,000 for a similar course to deal with the tough times.
The 50-year-old said: 'In previous recessions, I was fearful that I would lose my job. The course showed me that I can use my 25 years of experience in the retail trade to earn income from other sources.
'Now, I am no longer afraid of losing my job.'
Increasingly, Singaporeans are flocking to self-improvement courses to arm themselves with a positive attitude. Participants tend to be in their 30s and 40s, including high-paying professionals, students and those facing retrenchment or bankruptcy.
At these courses, which can cost up to $6,300, participants learn how to develop a positive outlook on life and help others. Mr Adam Khoo, co-founder
and executive chairman of Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group, which holds such courses, said the economic downturn is a 'compelling reason' for people to seek self-enhancement.
'When times are good, people don't really care about improving themselves,' he said.
Opened in 2007, the Positive Psychology Center where Miss Lee studies said it saw a spike in the number of sign-ups for its diploma courses.
Mr Alvin Lee, founder of Beautiful Minds, which conducts corporate training workshops, said: 'People may not be retrenched, but they are afraid that they will be. They all need hope. I am here to show them that there is hope.'
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