To be honest, be it 6 or 24 hours it is still possible to pay people to do it/copy from a smart friend and edit to not get caught for plagiarism.

That makes the degree/grade less credible. Hence it's more important for SIM students to take on internships to build up their resume. If the average student from Big 3 has 2-3 internships and as a SIM student you have none, how to fight?

Become insurance agent lor, which is a decent job that can pay very well too.

Worked 2 internship the last 2 years, each lasting 6 months. How much should I ask for my starting salary now that I’ve just graduated and seeking perm full time job for similar roles? Not sure what’s the median salary for UOL graduates now.

can try 3-3.5k

UOL....go deliver for grab earn more

Yup think you can quote this range and see what unfolds

3.2k is good alr. nowadays local uni grad also finding it difficult to get into big4 to get that 3.2 k some go for sgunited jobs first.

you forget to eat your humble pie for breakfast today.

Why are you digging up age old posts lmao

Will faang companies look at my degree if i can pass the technical tests?

Yes. Alumni has done it before, but you are still expected to have good grades ofc (even if you ace these tests)

I did my undergrad at NUS, and Masters at SIM.
As an employer, I find that grads from SIM-UOL are as good as those from NUS/NTU/SMU. The question has to do with job fit.

Where I am in fund management, some roles just suit local unis better because they have education that helps in those roles. Like Quant, Market Risk etc.
But most other roles that do not need specialised knowledge are fair game, and what really matters is that you leave a good impression and form a good connection with the hiring manager.

grad of 2020. did traineeship for 6months of 2.5k, and found a role in BB ops earning 5.5k

my friend got into purple consulting as a second year analyst getting >5k

I guess it depends on a multitude of factors.

If the job is not particularly intensive or doesn't require the brightest person around, I would take an SIM chiobu too. If SIM not chiobu, would rather go for the NUS/NTU/SMU/SUTD candidate unless SIM was available at a huge discount :)

CSB, entry level ops at BB earn mid 4s at most

Not OP, but I know who they are. BB ops probably took the traineeship role as relevant exp. If you are curious, the one in purple is strat analyst now and previously did uob traineeship. Go stalk yourself.

BB took the 6 months relevant exp and offered 5.5? how plausible is this?!

But then again, how common would this be for the average UOL grad? Seems like only the top few will get it.

For local U finance grad, going to BB ops is among the lowest in the list of career choices but here its being put on a pedestal.

Are you saying all local u finance grads hold high finance roles straight out of college? BB Ops pays on par or better than most roles that local uni biz grads typically get into (with the exception being high finance @ top shops, MBB/T2 consulting & mb strat/corp dev in big tech/unicorns). Median salary for NUS BBA / SMU Biz is ~4100-4200. BB Ops Grad Prog and ACN Strat starting is alr above that figure. Then again, no one here is comparing SIM-UOL to the 75th-99th percentile of local uni finance grads are we?

nobody comparing UOL to 75th-99th percentile of local U, but you are comparing top 10th percentile with 50th percentile of local U (which in the context is BB ops). see the difference?

Top 10% is 90th percentile.

You seems confused with the terminology.

No one is comparing. You are the one here who started drawing comparisons (which I assume is borne out of jealousy that a handful of sim-uol grads are earning more than the median biz student in local uni, despite studying 1-2 years lesser). Btw I think you meant the 90th percentile, as what the above poster have pointed out.

Pro Tips from a SIM Alumni:

OUT: Employers that deem SIM as a less valuable degree
A) Public Service
B) Local Banks
C) Pretty much any local company.
D) Big Asset Mgmt/ Hedge funds (they only hire 1-2 local grads. They very much prefer big US brand names for the connections)

IN: Employers with HR based overseas. They don’t differentiate SIM from NUS etc
A) Many foreign banks
B) Smaller Boutique Funds
C) Fintech Companies

The sad fact is that the biggest discriminator or degree value are our own people - because they know the system.

Public Service? Why sia. This is very sad if we don’t support own people.

As you rightfully mention, even for the above entities A,B,C, it depends if the HR are based overseas. Many international banks or even fintech companies would rely on their local HR team to source of their local candidates (obviously) so they are not any different from the first group of employers you mentioned.

Graduated from sim uol in 2013 and started my career in the banking industry.

2013-2015 in US private bank :in ops headcount but a support function sitting with FO (main reason why I’m hired into my 2019 role) and was drawing 3k, pathetic increment to 3.1k even after 2.5yrs service
2015-2019: hopped to another US private banking. Pure ops role sitting in changi earning 3.8k-4.2k
2019: hopped to local private bank FO role, a very junior advisory role with no sales target..
Started 5.3k (total com ard 95k)and got adjusted to 7k recently.

I was lucky that my first hiring mgr was a private uni grad so no discrimination, 2nd hiring mgr was local uni grad but doesn’t believe that ops role needs a local degree. My current hiring mgr no longer look at my degree.

My advice is, find a role that gives u many learning opportunities and apply for a junior FO role but don’t be like me stayed in ops for 6yrs before I decided that’s enough. And I’m not suggesting being in FO is a definition of success. I know of people who go into banking ops and just getting by each day and I know people with strong leadership skill climb up the ops mgmt. it all boils down to your character and how determined you are.

What are you doing in the FO private bank role? Are you in a team servicing UHNW clients/a particular clientele or..? Curious as to what skills were deemed as relevant to your current Fo role (since you were in a supporting role in 2013-2015)

If you stayed and grinded in ops, 8 years prolly enough to make junior VP drawing >10k base with better WLB. Unless you really wish to earn 20k++ kind which you will probably reach if you keep grinding in FO.

Quite understandable. Public sector bo bian have to give priority to public/local universities ma. But I agree that they should relook at how they classify private uni in their job schemes. Some cmi, but some are actually ok (maybe can look at honours also)

I’m in product advisory, we serve all Pb clients.

The reason why I didn’t stay in that ops role was becos promotion is only given to people with STRONG leadership skill. There’s a pool of 20+ ops analyst hoping to progress to 1-2 associate role a year, it was tough for me, in addition I’m a new mum then, the most I could Ot was till 7.30pm. Many of my ex team mates including me wasted our years there and got nothing in return, we have since moved on to better places with good opportunities.

Ah I see. Congrats! How did you make the jump (was it easy)? Would love to hear more!

Hmm no connection, no referral. Maybe some keywords in my resume that landed myself in HR’s radar. I think not most people want to work my shift too, which requires me to start 1-2hrs early.. I have a friend from ops who joined the US shift for 2 years before switching to day job. The bank is willing to groom young people ( late 20s is still considered young to them), so it’s up to individual are they willing to bite the bullet for the first few yrs.

HI, that's a very good attitude that you have. For us UOL grads, our degree is really worth less than a local uni's.... for the first few years! What happens after that really depends on your own skills, capabilities and attitude u bring to the work place.

I also have the same experience that the hiring manager's background makes a big difference. In my first job I was interviewed directly by the big HR dowager, who herself was an overseas grad.. I got the job thankfully. My staff recently sat in another interview with the group IT department.. and she was shocked that the hiring manager when choosing between 2 candidates discarded the overseas grad one just because the other chap was from NUS. In my work I have come across many SIM (UOL, RMIT) grads who cmi and are destined to get stuck at earning $3-4k per month. That being said, I have also come across some local uni grads who flatter to deceive too.

Like I said at the end of the day your paper will only get you through the front door, what you do next will determine how successful you are (or not).

What is your annual salary now? Monthly is a bit difficult to judge.

I still remembered in my first role when I joined my team, I was discriminated by local grad team mates, even was told by a FO director that he wouldn’t hire me if he’s the interviewer. It really hurts but over the years I proved him wrong. While I’m a little stupid, I was at least sincere in doing my work, didn’t mind the long working hours, no patterns too (during my time there’s already many strawberry fresh grads)

U can assume 7k basic with 2.5mth bonus.. nothing fancy compared to the many over here claiming 5figures basic per mth.. but I think my story represents a majority of uol grads who struggled the first few years, and at times felt very lost. All I want to share is at the end of the day, ask yourself, what do you want.. if that role can helps to accumulate experience for your dream job, learn to bite the bullet and press on. if that role is a waste of time just learn to move on, no point working for people who don’t appreciate you.

This is very admirable and commendable. Congratulations on all your hard work and I hope your efforts bear you greater fruits in future. :)

Not too bad at $100k pa.. what's most important is that you have a good attitude. My wife and I are both UOL grads but we have local grads reporting to us, some even older than ourselves. So it doesn't really matter once you establish yourself.

I have very similar story like the lady who moved into PB FO. 6 years in operations after grad from UOL in 2013. Moved to sales & trading by luck, you need to know many VPs don't draw even 10k base in BBS, and bonus is usually less than a month. I left as an AVP, and got a 23% pay increment moving to an FO analyst position....

Mind sharing how you transition? Am curious to know!

To my knowledge, BB Ops VPs start >10k unless you are junior (eg 6 YOE to VP) with avg bonuses of 1.5 to 2 months. Have a few close friends in BB ops and was told this.

Would place foreign banks under the 'out' category. Their HR departments are still based in Singapore and they still discrimate against SIM students especially for front and middle office roles. Big Asset Management / Hedge funds are definitely out though, even local uni grads have a hard time breaking in.

Great advice and sharing.
I graduated around same time as you. All the best.

This has to change, but it would require a massive team effort.

PM Lee gave an excellent suggestion to SUSS students previously on how to level the playing field which in my view is applicable for SIM too. The school itself has to maintain high standards and students study hard, which I think this is already a given. But more importantly, Alumni/graduates like yourself have to do well outside and fly the flag high (sort of like crediting your success to the education and nurture you received at SIM) so people know what SIM graduates are capable of and will acknowledge SIM is a good place, and will send their kids there.

This is a long-term project, but it can be done, as it had been done before with other universities.

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No... Ops VP hardly start above 10k. Unless your friends are in tech.... If not no way.