Engineering and Technology Careers are Not Valued - Singapore is "High Cost Low Tech"

If I decided to switch, which industry should I go for, or what type of course should I under-take.

1) Bank - corporate, investment (which i do not think I can get in)
2) Take a MBA
3) Other sale-orientated job like property agent or insurance

To low cost-low tech
Your views and comments are so myopic. SMU is setup to meet the rising demands of undergrad enrolment in Singapore. And for your info, the faculty of engineering has the highest enrolment rate in both NUS and NTU due to higher resources as compared to school of business. Moreover, SMU is setup with an aim of providing a business from another approach. FYI again, SMU degrees are not yet recognised globally when compared to NUS or NTU degrees.

To ECE,
I agree with you that renewable energy such as solar energy (in which the gov put a lot of emphasis on) is a viable option in Singapore. However, Singapore is currently extremely backward in solar technology as compared to solar tech research giants such as germany, australia and USA. FYI, the newly setup research institute in NUS (Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore, SERIS) only focuses on 1st and 2nd generation solar tech, as they do not believe in the newer 3rd generation. Moreover, the major activities in the solar field here involves the construction of manufacturing plants, not research labs. So if you want to venture into this field, best bet is to go places like aust or germany.

PS: Your offshore solar plant is not viable yet due to the high cost of underwater cables for transmission of electricity. This will further strain the initial investment due to the already very high cost of solar modules. Moreover, maintainence cost will increase dramatically if the modules are offshore.

when will we see a new university setup with an aim of providing an engineering education from another approach, without mass producing engineering graduates for the manufacturing plants ?

My two cents worth. When you don't succeed, don't blame it on others. Whether you succeed in the working world is irregardless of what degree you did in school. Many of us go on and on claiming that business is a better degree than engineering. Well, if you are so damn good, you will succeed anywhere and with whatever degree you did in uni. But if you are no good, the outcome will be the same, regardless of whatever degree you have.

Success depends on some luck.
It will still be good to discuss what kind of degrees are good for general students.
We know that a Philosophy major can also be a millionaire, but what is the mean/median salary of all philosophy majors in Singapore?
Students should choose a degree course with eyes wide open and armed with such info.

To low cost-lower tech
Engineering is different from business degrees. Being a professional and accredited degree, there are certain guidlines in which the course has to follow. Furthermore, engineering degree in Singapore now is much more different as compared to the past. New course materials and requirements such as human resource and biz modules are present for a holistic education.

The basline is that the system can only do this much. Many ppl take an engineering course but only some will excel. This is the same in all other courses such as business.

Quoting low cost-low tech, if engineering is mass producing engine grads for manufacturing plants, business is also good in mass producing biz grads for 8 to 5 offices in Raffles Place.

Of course, this is not true. Only people with aim and passion excel. So please do not make stereotyping and sweeping statements.

But if you are no good, the outcome will be the same, regardless of whatever degree you have.

I do not agreed. What make a person so good, if he is not gifted by nature. It is the education and the environment. My qns is: Do you think that people from engineering background is aiming for a easy way out or rather they have been in this environment, hence know the limitation of this industry, esp in spore.

Read the Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Success is a combination of many factors, and luck plays a major, major part.

To Drahcir,
As what goodie has mentioned, success is determined by a very complex combination of factors. Of course education and environment is one of them, but they are not the only determining ones.
Do you really think going into the finance sector or any other sector from engineering is an "easy way out"? I believe to be able to succeed in any industry, there is no easy way out, especially in Singapore. Also, what kind of limitation are you talking about? Career prospects? Annual income? Starting a company? If you are talking about all these, then there is limitation in all sectors and industries, because currently i do not know of any sector or industry which can allow most people in the industry, if not all, to be able to do very well in the above mentioned fields.

when will we see a new university setup with an aim of providing an engineering education from another approach, without mass producing non-holistic engineering graduates who can only think for the not valued, low cost-low tech sg manufacturing plants ??