it is actually very disappointing to know that people from the tech side are jumping ship to finance.

have people really lost interest in science and engineering? given california good credentials and opportunity offered to him(studying in a college in silicon valley virturally gives one all the opportunites that they can crave for if they want to be involved in tech industry.) and there is another member who said that he got stuck at senior researcher level.

im just a student, and its kind of depressing to see this. is a tech career such a monetary unrewarding one, till the extent u prolly have a problem keeping ur job or have advancement?

@California

I'm still too lazy to register, so pardon me. I wouldn't worry about trying to convince some people here. Many have very rigid views, better yet formed, in spite of having very little knowledge about the subject matter. Its interesting how many of our countrymen hold such a low opinion of what opportunities Sg holds for them. However, what you've talked about so far not just coincides with what I know but is similar to the path I've taken. I'm surprised how the conversation came to the type of girls that you'd get in the bay area vs. Sg. Hahaha, no comment. As I said earlier, different people, different priorities, different perspectives.

In regards to your "accent", Lol, the very fact that you write good English should eliminate some doubt (though I must say our American counterparts have grammar issues themselves).

@ Unregistered, 11:43 PM

You'd be surprised. Yes, most Sgns who attended an overseas college can't do a believable "American" accent (in fact many sound terrible when they try), but there are some "English-educated" who can, not bcz they are faking it but it grows on you after you spend a few years there. Personally, I enjoyed the priceless stares my American friends gave me whenever I broke out into heavy Singlish on the phone after just talking to them in English. They understand and yet they don't. A lot assume I'm a citizen and its not difficult bcz the US has such a great melting pot of cultures depending on where you're at. I often find it hard to tell myself.

nope, i'm not talking about accent at all, I'm talking about the way we speak, the choice of words, our sentence structures. It's not about good English, but how you use it. Americans use a very distinctive style, you know it when you hear it or read it. California here, on the other hand, uses the style of an educated native Singaporean, a Singaporean nonetheless.

What is this distinctive style that Americans use? Pray elaborate.

Well, what you said is possible but I can't be certain either way. The irony is that I've corrected quite a bit of "American" grammar that I might be able catch on to distinctive "American" grammatical mistakes, but since he writes pretty well, its a lot harder for me. Furthermore, if you've been to some places in the US like Puerto Rico, the language/sentence structure can be so different (yes, an extreme example). You could look out for catch phrases like "All set", "on the same page", or even heavier (ghetto) slang "tripping". Then again, what do I know, I'm not an English major (or in law school) much less an expert in American English. Sorry, but I can't tell basically, if I had met him in person, I'd have a better chance at deciphering his mannerisms.

What he does talk about in regards to engineering in the US and returning to Sg seems mostly accurate. It could be personal bias bcz I went down a similar trail but at the very least it does resonate with the experiences I've had. If someone came to me, very interested in doing engineering and working in the US, I doubt my advice would significantly differ from his - Do an EECS degree in Cali and find a comfortable job in Silicon Valley. That's about the best way to maximize the likelihood of attaining his/her dream/goals. Of course, in regards to the purchasing power and salary comparisons between different fields in SG/US, its complicated and very "case-by-case", bound to have disagreements aplenty.

Like I said, you know it when you hear it or when you read it. There's nothing much I can do to open your eyes if you've always been a frog in the well.

I'm not doubting what he said at all. Too many Singaporeans today hop on the "intellectual" bandwagon of being anti-Singapore without having even spent an extended period of time overseas, studied there, made international friends, much less be able to compare job opportunities between the U.S. and Singapore. There are many things to like about America, but there're also many things the Singaporean lifestyle that beats America and other places.

Looks like I've just called your bluff.

Remember to send me a postcard on your virgin flight out of Singapore.

Non sequitur