SMU Fresh Grads Make $4k to $10k

most of these students are in the blooming banking and finance industry. If you look at the starting pay, say, NUS sans art or estate faculty, I wouldnot be surprise if its high too. If you read deeper, its really about which industry you should be in.

NUS arts earning high pay? Even estate degrees dun earn that much - my friends in those majors either end up as teachers or analysts for estate companies.

News just wanna to convey a certain message to general public which local Uni grads got the best salary in today's market.

Who knows, there could be some certain marketing agenda behind. What about overseas grads ? Why don't they do a general comparison as well ?

I have a friend from china and he says even if you have US$1 million in china, you are not even considered inside the "rich bracket". You are only considered normal above average.

Today in Singapore, you earn SGD$3k a month and the journalist publish so proudly in the national newspapers for the whole world to see. My goodness! Please wake up SPH, don't embarass Singapore!

SGD$3k a month live in Vietnam or Thailand can be comfortable.. Singapore? Ha.. That's less than $100 a day. You go sakae sushi with your date already $60 gone. Please...

wait and see: i think your friend in china is deluded or from a very very priveleged background...

anyway agree with what most people say: i.e. it is the industry you are in that commands the pay. And since SMU is more skewed towards finance/business, you would naturally think they would get higher ave starting pay.

To e: Nope, the growth in China in the last 3 years or so was super phenomenal. The SSE composite index was around 1000 in Oct 05. It shot up to around 6000 in Oct 07! Yes, a small $200k investment grows to $1.2 million in just 2 years! And I am not talking about professionals picking excellent stocks. This is the market index! Any tom dick or harry can just close their eyes and buy!! You have no idea how much $$ the chinese made...

And here in Singapore we are talking about whether $3k or $4k a month is good pay. Please wake up SPH..

If I can still pump 1 litre of petrol for $1, buy a pack of marlboro at $5, buy a 3rm HDB for $100k, buy a new 3 bedrm condo for $5xxk then I will be convinced $3k a month is enough.

Anyway these are the prices in 1990, where a MOE teacher with a honours degree is already earning a starting pay of $3k per month.

wait and wait, I dunno what's your issue with how you perceive university education as wasteful and your condescending view towards the value of money.
Yes, there are others who earn multiple times more than the average in this world, but COME ON, $3.5k for starting pay is really comfortable. This is not even considering the potential increments in the upcoming years.
So for God's sake, please quit the ATTITUDE, and stop being in denial man.. SHEESH!

Whatever,

I apologise if you are offended with my comments. Please don't take it personal. Anyway I understand that a person's salary is a very sensitive issue, and "F«¦TƦS+ñµäƒµâà".

You have your view that $3.5k TODAY is enough. I respect it. I have my view that $3.5k TODAY is not enough. And very far away to make it to the national newspapers to be glorified. So it's fair.

I never did say Uni education is wasteful. Salary aside, one can learn many other things in Uni. But here at salary.sg we are discussing about salary alone, aren't we? And I am only commenting about the salary portion. If one earned $3.5k and keep quiet and be humble about it, it's perfectly fine. But earning $3.5k to be proudly glorified in the national newspapers for the world to see? The earners are not wrong, SPH and the journalist is.

You are right, there may be potential increments. There can also be potential paycuts. Fair? Remember SARS? 911? 97 crisis?

It's ok if you don't agree, since its meant to be a discussion. If you are offended, I apologise again. Cheers!

hi all, I'm an SMU graduate and hope to comment on this news. I would like to say that this news is both accurate and inaccurate.

First of all, not all SMU students responded to the survey thus who would respond? Those who earn higher pay.

Second, SMU is a business school with a LOT of students majoring in finance, and we all know much much banks pay their employees, EVEN with today's financial difficulties.

Thirdly, as I have graduated and found a job, I also know of many of my peers' and seniors' earning powers. There are some who earns 2,400 a month and there are some who earns more than 10,000 a month. It really depends which industry you go to. The higher paying ones tend to be the banks, especially in investment banking, or the management consultancy firms.

So I guess, the news is accurate in a sense. I'm just not sure about the % of people who got the 4k-10k range. It looks right to me though. Approximately 20% of people I know are are receiving their first paycheck in this salary range.