SIM-UOL fresh grad starting pay

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I am from a local uni, just randomly browsing the thread. And I wonder, how did that guy clear his CFA level 2 as an undergrad?



I got my CFA level 1 in year 2, they do not allow me to go for CFA level 2 at all. The criteria for level 2 is a bachelor's degree (i'm aware they wrote it as a requirement for level 1, but they seemed to relax on the rule. Not for level 2 though)

Can the guy please share with me how?

Hi, same here. Not allowed to advance to level 2 without graduating. Looks like someone drop a bomb on us. One with smoke.

hi, im from uol banking & finance. i just finished my exam. currently im looking for a full time job. any advice of what kind of job should i apply?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

hi, im from uol banking & finance. i just finished my exam. currently im looking for a full time job. any advice of what kind of job should i apply?

A banking and finance job.

UOL 1st class can go deloitte lah. but if your class hons is others and you have no relevant experience in for eg. banking, can go suck thumb, suck it so hard.

UOL got money throw can already, you go in SIM general office with a bag of money, the academic head will bow down to you and quickly make arrangements for lion dance and buffet spread just for you. he will personally drive you around the campus for a tour in his lambo. with that said, it is not difficult to get a uol degree, just difficult to score. bloody hell final year can fail 2 and still graduate wtf. i am a uol graduate with 2nd ups and i'm embarrassed. the working world out here, local uni grads, talk smarter, think faster, only thing you can match them is who can work longer. so losing in two aspects already, again start sucking thumb, suck it so hard.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

UOL 1st class can go deloitte lah. but if your class hons is others and you have no relevant experience in for eg. banking, can go suck thumb, suck it so hard.

UOL got money throw can already, you go in SIM general office with a bag of money, the academic head will bow down to you and quickly make arrangements for lion dance and buffet spread just for you. he will personally drive you around the campus for a tour in his lambo. with that said, it is not difficult to get a uol degree, just difficult to score. bloody hell final year can fail 2 and still graduate wtf. i am a uol graduate with 2nd ups and i'm embarrassed. the working world out here, local uni grads, talk smarter, think faster, only thing you can match them is who can work longer. so losing in two aspects already, again start sucking thumb, suck it so hard.

same here, fresh uol grad in the working world, it is ****. the hierarchy is like this, local uni grads despise uol grads with honors, uol grads with hons despise uol grads who fail 2 and just scrap through, then the uol grads with no hons despise mdis because dont need to study can get 2nd upper (university of bradford and others), then mdis look down on...ok diploma holders. basically all the pte university students are treated as secondary stock in pte sector, and treated as trash in government sector. government sector just scan through and see uol on our resumes they quickly fling it away like its poison 'AHHhh!!~' so existing uol students, unless you are waiting for first class honors, you will only step into the working world with 2.2-2.8(****ing lucky from young go guanyin temple pray every sunday), worst case is jobless become taxi driverman like dr bombay in Calcutta. best is some uol graduates are hoping to go into big banks standchart barclays, i tell you, you continue dreaming... they will hire you to lick their f--king shoes for $0.50 per pair. next, uol graduates who are desperate end up where? personal banking associate at DBS or UOB, sell **** lor. everyday kena f--k by relationship manager NABEI GO AND HIT YOUR TARGET!!! although the pay 2.7 your life is GG up the lorry go up the mountain and kill yourself. alot of uol grads are in BANKS holding the PBA position, and are sibei haolian. but they are basically high class insurance seller, stand outside/inside banks 'hi aunty want to take loan to buy vegetables not' accounting still not bad, surely can find accounting job. banking students take care, the outside market is ****. good luck

[Alex]

I just ended my last UoL exam 3 days ago, but I may not be able to secure a job by end June.

One particular comment received from an interviewer was the lack of internships among SIM students, and that places them at a disadvantage.

The usual responses among some of my friends are: "internship is cheap labor...might as well do part time job" or "it's quite late to do internship".

However I realize that there were also many good examples. There was a UoL Business graduate who is working as Business Development Manager at a foreign bank.

There were others who secured summer internships with banks and performed well such that they are able to start work after exams. There are others who had done ACCA, CFA, CFMS and many other qualifications while they were still students.

The point is that, if you seek to enter banking industry but had not done the necessary preparations in your undergrad years (SIM or otherwise), you are unlikely to be able to make it in any specialized banking function, be it M&A, Risk, Compliance, Equity, Treasury, Transaction Banking and Operations (yes, even Ops too) now.

Then again, the banking sector is not as "evergreen" as before. The pie is getting smaller as regulation tightens and hurts the bottom line of banks, which are made worse by the credit glut prevalent across the global economy now. I'm not a doomsday prophet, but it should be no secret by now that job security and advancement opportunities are not the general case for most of the rank and file in the banking sector (I'm not talking about the elites though).

I'm still looking for a job. In the meantime, I'll perhaps pick up some useful skills like learning how to code and speak french, whilst volunteering for non-profit/startup by carrying out corporate functions for free (to build up portfolio).

[Alex]

Angsy: UoL vs Local Universities: Fact or Fiction?

If there is one thing I learn from my UoL life, it is independence, discipline and the intense curiosity required to do well in the Programme. As much of the learning is self-directed, there is not much guidance provided. Critics of UoL often cite the lack of coursework as an impediment to "quality" learning. This criticism is valid- the lack of coursework may have indeed led to poor comprehension and the inability to monitor one's learning as the module proceeds across the semester.

However this is in fact a hallmark of being a UoL student- without the necessary coursework or close supervision of tutors and professors, we had to be active to clarify and seek understanding ourselves. The lack of coursework somehow forces us to be diligent and resourceful in seeking out various sources of knowledge- videos, books, pdfs, websites of other universities, etc.

I cannot say for other UoL students, but I had learnt to take charge of my learning, to pace myself and to hold myself accountable for my pursuits, be it in physical fitness, intellectual expansion, skills & competencies, relationships and other areas.

This "training" also cemented the right attitude for working in the fast paced knowledge economy- I do not expect my boss to babysit me. I am hungry to learn, yet I go the extra mile to evaluate and correct my mistakes along the way. I am active to obtain feedback, be it from my colleagues or the environment/system I was immersed in. And I am sure I'm not the only UoL student who can testify to it. By neglecting such qualities, employers actually lose out by dismissing valuable talent.

This is not to say that "UoL changed my life" or "UoL is the top notch institution in the world". Rather, the constraints we are subjected to mold us to become better individuals. It also removes the sense of complacency since we learn not to take opportunities for granted, having lost it once during our Polytechnic or JC days. I am not ashamed to say that I enrolled in UoL with poor results- I alone am responsible for my dismal performance. But I can definitely say I learnt alot from studying in this Programme.

In my opinion, the local universities are better in a few ways:

1. They have better funding for their students.

2. They have better standing internationally.

Caveat: University rankings are problematic, though the few in the top spots are so outstanding that they shine in almost every criteria imposed. For more info, read:
9705fea1.html
EUobserver.com / Education / EU to test new university ranking in 2010
And other resources

3. They provide value-added services to students using their brand and networks.

4. They provide a more structural approach to learning, with coursework, seminars, presentations and project work.

5. The quality of students tend to be more consistent and predictable since the barriers to entry are significantly higher than UoL.

There is nothing wrong to admit that they are better in terms of the above areas. But I submit that the strengths of local universities does not imply that UoL students are bumbling, incompetent and unmotivated idiots who are "having it easy".

Critics of UoL's academic may be invited to attempt a few modules, namely Introduction to Economics, Principles of Marketing, Monetary Economics and Elements of Econometrics. Download some of these papers online and attempt it yourself:
EMFSS past examination papers | University of London International Programmes

Ask yourself if it is really as easy as you thought. Then consider the bias you had applied to UoL students regarding their academics.

Originally Posted by Alex

Angsy: UoL vs Local Universities: Fact or Fiction?

If there is one thing I learn from my UoL life, it is independence, discipline and the intense curiosity required to do well in the Programme. As much of the learning is self-directed, there is not much guidance provided. Critics of UoL often cite the lack of coursework as an impediment to "quality" learning. This criticism is valid- the lack of coursework may have indeed led to poor comprehension and the inability to monitor one's learning as the module proceeds across the semester.

However this is in fact a hallmark of being a UoL student- without the necessary coursework or close supervision of tutors and professors, we had to be active to clarify and seek understanding ourselves. The lack of coursework somehow forces us to be diligent and resourceful in seeking out various sources of knowledge- videos, books, pdfs, websites of other universities, etc.

I cannot say for other UoL students, but I had learnt to take charge of my learning, to pace myself and to hold myself accountable for my pursuits, be it in physical fitness, intellectual expansion, skills & competencies, relationships and other areas.

This "training" also cemented the right attitude for working in the fast paced knowledge economy- I do not expect my boss to babysit me. I am hungry to learn, yet I go the extra mile to evaluate and correct my mistakes along the way. I am active to obtain feedback, be it from my colleagues or the environment/system I was immersed in. And I am sure I'm not the only UoL student who can testify to it. By neglecting such qualities, employers actually lose out by dismissing valuable talent.

This is not to say that "UoL changed my life" or "UoL is the top notch institution in the world". Rather, the constraints we are subjected to mold us to become better individuals. It also removes the sense of complacency since we learn not to take opportunities for granted, having lost it once during our Polytechnic or JC days. I am not ashamed to say that I enrolled in UoL with poor results- I alone am responsible for my dismal performance. But I can definitely say I learnt alot from studying in this Programme.

In my opinion, the local universities are better in a few ways:

1. They have better funding for their students.

2. They have better standing internationally.

Caveat: University rankings are problematic, though the few in the top spots are so outstanding that they shine in almost every criteria imposed. For more info, read:
9705fea1.html
EUobserver.com / Education / EU to test new university ranking in 2010
And other resources

3. They provide value-added services to students using their brand and networks.

4. They provide a more structural approach to learning, with coursework, seminars, presentations and project work.

5. The quality of students tend to be more consistent and predictable since the barriers to entry are significantly higher than UoL.

There is nothing wrong to admit that they are better in terms of the above areas. But I submit that the strengths of local universities does not imply that UoL students are bumbling, incompetent and unmotivated idiots who are "having it easy".

Critics of UoL's academic may be invited to attempt a few modules, namely Introduction to Economics, Principles of Marketing, Monetary Economics and Elements of Econometrics. Download some of these papers online and attempt it yourself:
EMFSS past examination papers | University of London International Programmes

Ask yourself if it is really as easy as you thought. Then consider the bias you had applied to UoL students regarding their academics.

Self-promoting your blog?

Rather flawed argument. Interesting perspective nevertheless.

Never use an exam paper to gauge the standard. Different school teach different things. Don't forget that often you have revisions to brush up on unexpected topics and tackle specific questions. Don't forget the bellcurve god as well. If you score 50 in UOL you may get FCH. Score 90 in NUS and you may not even get second honors.

All these arguments can go on perennially. UOL sure has lots of defenders. But as a hiring manager, I do not consider them, especially for new recruitment. In my opinion, I think that local Uni grads (NUS, NTU, SMU) are superior. I mean, c'mon, there is a reason why someone go to NTU accountancy and why another person go to UOL. Do I want to hire someone who only got 2 A'level passes? It's not even a conversation.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Self-promoting your blog?

Rather flawed argument. Interesting perspective nevertheless.

Never use an exam paper to gauge the standard. Different school teach different things. Don't forget that often you have revisions to brush up on unexpected topics and tackle specific questions. Don't forget the bellcurve god as well. If you score 50 in UOL you may get FCH. Score 90 in NUS and you may not even get second honors.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

All these arguments can go on perennially. UOL sure has lots of defenders. But as a hiring manager, I do not consider them, especially for new recruitment. In my opinion, I think that local Uni grads (NUS, NTU, SMU) are superior. I mean, c'mon, there is a reason why someone go to NTU accountancy and why another person go to UOL. Do I want to hire someone who only got 2 A'level passes? It's not even a conversation.

Dear Hiring Manager,

How about those who can go to local uni but went to sim instead?