#24. Benjamin Khan and his Values, Passion, and Purpose

With our mission to create a world where work drives passion, however linear or nonlinear your career pathway is, discovering and aligning your values, passion, and purpose will give you the best chance at having a fulfilling career, and more importantly, life. And when this alignment is in place it leads to something greater - organisations can achieve their mission, and society and beyond will benefit in the long run.

Values are your non-negotiable foundation, passion is about what excites and motivates you, and purpose is your deeper reason for existence. - Harvard Business Review

Wantedly's SG60 stories series is about people who have been shaped by Singapore, and had made a difference in Singapore. This series aims to be a platform for individual reflection on what our own values are, and how we discover our passion and strive towards our purpose.

As a nation, when we reflect on our shared values of multiculturalism, boldness, resilience and openness, we can build upon what drove our prosperity. SG60’s theme is a refreshed spirit, and by celebrating Singapore’s journey to date, Wantedly is proud to spotlight our very own flying the flag across the globe 🇸🇬

Introducing Benjamin

In his own words

My name is Benjamin Khan, and who I have been has changed over the years: I used to be an artist, then I became an educator, then a product manager/designer, currently I am a programmer/software developer at Weta FX in New Zealand (our family just relocated this year for work). Lately, I've become very interested in the intersection of technology, capitalism, and social systems, approaching it from a sociological and systems thinking perspective.

Benjamin and his wife viewing the sakura cherry blossoms in Wellington, New Zealand, 2025

Fun Fact

I learned Japanese swordfighting - kendo - in Singapore for 2 years, from Kato Toru Sensei, who was also a church pastor. At that time, kendo lessons were Wed evenings and Sunday mornings, which meant missing church. Kato Sensei would train us personally so that we were still able to go to church and learn.

Kato Sensei taught us the discipline to know some things like the technical forms are a matter of repetition, and also other things are a matter of motivation and perception, like how to defeat a superior opponent. But most of all, to enjoy the process and stay in the present - otherwise you get a bonk on the head. 

1. What are your top 3 values? Has this changed for you with your current season, compared to before?

Worldview values tend to not change too drastically, especially for older people like me.

1) I am an idealist - I see the good and potential in individuals first.

2) Both duty/responsibility and deliberate choice are necessary to accomplish a strong connection between people.

3) Plan for the future, but live in the present - I consider the worst case scenario as the baseline, thereby when things are usually better, I can focus on the good things that happen every day instead.

Benjamin and ex-colleagues from Lucasfilm Singapore at annual party, 2016

2. What is your proudest career accomplishment to date?

I consider my work on Avengers: Endgame to be my best - I did a lot of character effects animation and simulation work on Smart Hulk. Sitting in the cinema and watching the audience reactions to the end of a beloved character that started with Ironman a decade earlier made all my work as an artist worth it.

3. What was the biggest employer red flag you encountered?

Once I was asked to interview for an intern position during a summer vacation at an animation startup. The director, who was a very famous person, interviewed me and was very hard on my portfolio - very dismissive and judgemental. After the interview concluded, he gave me a shot and said I had to finish a task by the end of the day - there was no contract or stipend for essentially my free labour. I said no and walked out.

4. What fills your cup?

Besides the usuals of family and friends, I am someone who loves learning new things - whether it’s learning to ski, AI, woodworking, barista training - I love it all. It gives me great joy to practice skills and make new relations with the information I have been given.

Benjamin and ex-colleagues from Motional after team bonding, 2020

5. As someone who has relocated to a new country (because of limited opportunities in your field here), what makes Singapore home for you?

Singapore, for a very long time, has had good governance for the majority - go to school, study hard, go through NS or university, find a good stable job, get married, buy an HDB flat, have children and repeat the cycle. That creates a unique society where people have peace of mind and hope for the future, which I think can be hard to come by in other places.

Benjamin visiting at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand, 2025.
(Massey University is a popular higher education destination for many Singaporeans.)

6. In your current season, how do you stay positive/focused?

I like the play the game of “how much can I learn/do it myself to reduce how much I spend” everyday. This allows me to learn new skills, stretches my budget further while giving me something to focus on.

Also, I would love to speak/network with other like minded individuals who see challenges in Singapore’s homogenized measure of success and how we can expand and diversify our boundaries in a safe manner.

If any mid-career specialist jobseekers like myself are reading this: You will have, by dint of life on this planet, gained some measure of skills and experiences unique to you. Weaponise everything and anything in your battle for employment - learn supplementary skills, refine existing ones. Network with others, gain trust and explore any opportunity no matter how ridiculous. Be passionate and rage against failure, but know it is not the end - the sun still rises tomorrow, and there’s still someone to talk to and explore new opportunities with.

If you are curious to connect, you can reach out to me via my LinkedIn profile.

Once again, in celebration of SG60, let us strive to be bolder and kinder to one another, for Singapore and ourselves.

This series was brought to you by Wantedly Hire - an application tracking system optimised for modern hiring practices. Experience seamless hiring with tailored workflows designed to align with your recruitment structure, automated interview scheduling, and actionable insights to optimise hiring performance!