Congratulations to the latest batch of President’s Scholars. But like
last year’s batch, not a single one of them will be doing a science or engineering related course.
In a way, this confirms the
doom of science and technology careers in Singapore.
In fact, four of the six President’s Scholars this year will read Economics.
Although Economics is classified as a social science and can be a very mathematical subject (especially in the US), it’s more about the movement of money than constructing useful things.
It’s about the money.
Engineers like Lee Bee Wah can
claim that
some high earners have engineering degrees but the fact remains that none of the
best-paying jobs here require an engineering degree.
The
“dumping ground” courses in NUS and NTU are also dominated by engineering courses.
With all respect, I’m guessing that the bulk of Ms Lee’s income actually comes from her non-engineering work.
As a Member of Parliament, Ms Lee receives
$190,000 in allowance per year, which is easily much higher than that of the
best-paying engineering-related job (Computer operations and network manager).
I’m not sure how much pay she receives in her current full-time job as a “Principal Partner, LBW Consultants / LBW Consultants LLP”, or in her previous job as an “Asst. Project Manager, Wing Tai Property Management Ptd Ltd” (reference:
her CV).
http://www.salary.sg/2009/again-pres...ng-or-science/