Pass degree and what to expect?

[ringolingo]

Hi all, I am now in NTU mech eng and I messed up in one semester which pulled down my gpa drastically. But I have retook the mods and cleared them.

I expect to graduate somewhere in the range of 2.3 gpa with another 2 semesters to go. I know that the grades are really miserable. But what advice would you give about career?

I have this inferiority complex about my grades but i'll try to go for interviews next semester once my fyp has settled down.

I guess most companies local or overseas will shun this kind of resume?
Any advise would be appreciated, thanks.

Originally Posted by ringolingo

Hi all, I am now in NTU mech eng and I messed up in one semester which pulled down my gpa drastically. But I have retook the mods and cleared them.

I expect to graduate somewhere in the range of 2.3 gpa with another 2 semesters to go. I know that the grades are really miserable. But what advice would you give about career?

I have this inferiority complex about my grades but i'll try to go for interviews next semester once my fyp has settled down.

I guess most companies local or overseas will shun this kind of resume?
Any advise would be appreciated, thanks.

I am 10 years senior from NTU mech engineering. Similar to you, I have a pass degree only with GPA slightly less than 3. I would advise you the following.
1) find a proper resume template and enhance every possible bits of your resume such as leadership, CCA, any academic and non-academic achievement, community services etc. Not to the extent over exaggerating.
2) expand your selection - even 25% matching of your preferred job
3) check with connections for job opportunity - internship mentor, senior friends, relatives etc
4) send resume to all possible job opportunities especially those SME which should have lesser competition
5) during interview, be confident with yourself and be prepared to answer for your low GPA. Be truthful and show the interviewer you have correct attitude
6) relax and wait for results. Don't be overstress

Originally Posted by ringolingo

Hi all, I am now in NTU mech eng and I messed up in one semester which pulled down my gpa drastically. But I have retook the mods and cleared them.

I expect to graduate somewhere in the range of 2.3 gpa with another 2 semesters to go. I know that the grades are really miserable. But what advice would you give about career?

I have this inferiority complex about my grades but i'll try to go for interviews next semester once my fyp has settled down.

I guess most companies local or overseas will shun this kind of resume?
Any advise would be appreciated, thanks.

Similar to you, I have a pass degree from NTU mechanical engineering 10 years your senior.
My advice to you are;

1) Create a proper and comprehensive resume (source from friends or internet for a good template) and include all beneficial bits. Any academic and non-academic achievement, CCA achievement, community services etc

2) Lower your expectation. Expand your search bar.

3) Source from connection for job opportunities from senior friends, relatives, internship mentor etc

4) Send out resume to all potential job opportunities including SME which competition is less stiff

5) During interview, be confident and be prepared to answer for your low GPA. Be truth and not too exaggerated.


6) Relax and don't be overstress

Sorry to hear that. don't be too disillusioned though, this happens to a lot of people (even i struggled when i was doing a research module in nus in year 3, almost got depressed)

one way to get through this is to focus on the project work you did and make the employer understand you were more of a practical person and that you flourished in practical, project based modules...

There is a big focus on sincerity and goodness among good hiring managers, it is ok to be sincere and highlight what happened.

Of course if you are up against those typical local old school type hiring managers (which GLC's and stat boards are full of), then you are out of luck

they are the bane of the job market and the faster they retire/get out, the more pleasant working in SG will become

Pass degree holder here, was in similar dilemma when I first started out. Situation was a bit more bleak as I wasn't interested in my field of study and it was 2009, financial crisis.

Did some freelancing work while sending out resumes. Eventually landed a job in a small firm doing project mgmt. I feel if you are just starting out, try going for smaller firms if you are trying to land a job first. No point try applying to big firms and compete with other people better positioned. Gain some experience first before trying bigger firms. Once you get pass the fresh grad hire phase, it becomes a bit easier.

I disagree with the stereotyping for GLCs and SBs though, been to a few for interviews before, and got shortlisted before. For fresh grads, grades is probably a big consideration for them. But what they are really interested in is whether you are familiar with your work and whether you can perform. This is especially for technical jobs; engineering, project mgmt, IT etc. So gaining a few years of experience is good if that's your cup of tea.