To further studies or not to

[Erica Lim]

Hi, i am currently a diploma holder. I am contemplating to further studies. Do you think it will help me in my career in terms of pay rise, promotion or better job opportunities? Any advice anyone??

Originally Posted by Erica Lim

Hi, i am currently a diploma holder. I am contemplating to further studies. Do you think it will help me in my career in terms of pay rise, promotion or better job opportunities? Any advice anyone??

Depends, if you can qualify for local uni, then go for it. If not, then dont take any lupsup degree, it wont help much.

[Erica Lim]

I definitely cannot qualify for a local uni. But what do you mean by a lupsup degree? Sorry, i am quite inexperience in this

Actually it does help to get a degree. I had an increment of 1k after graduation by changing job with similar job responsibilities. Alot of job postings require at least a degree in my field. So without a degree, I wont even be shortlisted for an interview.

However, in my case, i had 3 years exp alr. If u are a fresh grad without exp at all, then you wont see much difference in starting pay from diploma to degree.

[Erica Lim]

I have actually been working for about 2 years, but have been stagnant in my career. and now with all the talks by the govt about lifelong learning, i am wondering whether or not if i should also upgrade myself to stay relevant. im not sure if it will help in my career if i get a degree, but just the thought of going back to school and the long hours put in, kind of also make me hesitate. anyone was in the same shoes too?

Originally Posted by Erica Lim

I have actually been working for about 2 years, but have been stagnant in my career. and now with all the talks by the govt about lifelong learning, i am wondering whether or not if i should also upgrade myself to stay relevant. im not sure if it will help in my career if i get a degree, but just the thought of going back to school and the long hours put in, kind of also make me hesitate. anyone was in the same shoes too?

I was in the same shoe. After hesitating for 1.5yrs, i decided to further my studies.

Do it when u r young and have no family commitments. Perhaps u can let us noe more details abt urself? Like what field u working as, ur interest and whats ur diploma?

[Erica Lim]

i currently do not have any family commitments, and have been working as sales executive for more than 2 years. my diploma is in life science. even though i like it, but the prospects for life science in sg seems to be very niche. if i were to further my studies, i would probably try a general degree such as a business degree or psychology degree.

after furthering your studies, was things better? did the cert helped in your career?

Having a degree is always more useful than not having one. If you can afford it, it will help to open career doors. Try to go for a 'brand' name school at least by checking the university rankings (QSWorld or FT are pretty good), even if you are doing it via distance correspondence.

Originally Posted by Erica Lim

i currently do not have any family commitments, and have been working as sales executive for more than 2 years. my diploma is in life science. even though i like it, but the prospects for life science in sg seems to be very niche. if i were to further my studies, i would probably try a general degree such as a business degree or psychology degree.

after furthering your studies, was things better? did the cert helped in your career?

My increament was 1k plus when i changed job.
I graduated last year. Before grad- 2.3k, after grad and changed job 3.5k. I was 25 last year.

Alot of my friends with dip and same age still drawing ard 2.5k to 2.8k. Therefore, i think the close to 1 k increment is worth it for u to pursue. My degree was 1.5yrs duration.

Thinking of going overseas to study overseas, either US or UK.

Does anyone who has knowledge of civil service/stat board recruitment processes know if the SG government care about reputation/ranking of universities?

I know that the usual suspects like Oxbridge, Yale, Harvard, LSE etc. are looked upon favorably but what about below those? Is there a difference in the mind of the public service recruiters between a quite good but not top university and a mid-tier university? For example, universities like Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol etc...they are quite prestigious in UK but wondering if there is any 'reputation effect' in the eyes of the govt employers here.