SIM-UOL fresh grad starting pay
 

Hey guys just thought of starting a thread for all fresh degree grads from UOL.

Local Uni grads, feel free to input your starting pay for the envy of others lol.

For me, i'm getting a miserable $2,300. :(

Maybe.. It's becos you din graduate with a good class of honors... Either that or your course is a common course that has graduates coming from the better local universities... You should be grateful already man... I've heard some graduates getting only 2k starting salary only...

$2300 is alright for a fresh grad pay if you are in the private sector.
I've heard of local uni grads getting lower than that.
Please don't be fooled by those lame, highly inaccurate, fresh grad surveys that the local unis publish.

You are doing just fine man...

Local accountany graduate joining big 4 will earn slightly more than that.

Just focus on knowing ur trade and increasing your value, now you probably just a few hundred dollars difference, but if you aren't doing enough, in next few years it could be few thousands difference...

Thanks for the encouraging replies guys.

only managed to get a 2nd class lower for honours. fell short of 2 marks for 2nd upper. then again i doubt that makes a difference to most employers!

btw, my course was Banking & Finance and almost 9/10 calls i get are for sales positions...anyone from B&F managed to get a job in a bank that's not sales related?

do you want to try Govt sector? They pay quite well. Can try stat boards rather than ministry positions.

Hello TS,

I feel you are doing quite well with 2.3k starting pay. I've seen some of my NUS friends getting 2k starting.

I am a fresh SMU grad working in one of the government ministries. There are a few SIM grads working in my department. I am getting ard 3.4k and i m pretty sure we all get around the same amount.

Point to note though, Stat boards are considered the public service and tends to pay better.

Are you saying public sector jobs pay better than private sector generally? I thought the opposite is true, as I remember someone important once said the former should not be leading the latter in terms of pay, right?

i dont think the pay for those with pte degree working in public sector would be the same as those from local uni? cos for one interview that i went, they told me that my pte degree cert would be considered a diploma cert instead? :(

i heard quite a few local uni friends getting near to/more than 3k. kinda depressing when u hear that.. but they r working in the public sector. im wondering how's the pay like for private sector for pte/local degree also..

myself i'm getting about 2.4k

Sorry for the misunderstanding! What i meant was that the public service (Stat boards) pay better than the civil service (ministries)! of cos our pay cannot be compared to the pte sector!

hi. everywhere you go, if you're from local uni, you would be perceived to be better because of your qualifications; not a short cut degree. but tell you, it is not entirely true. a private degree is still a degree in the eyes of some govt bodies as long as it is recognized and you would get the same pay as what a local uni grad with a pass degree would get. of course, don't talk about those local uni grads with honours degree la.. your UOL degree is quite valuable because UOL ain't not tom dick and harry school. keep on trying for public sector jobs ya

i thought it would applies to all govt bodies so i gave up trying.. but hey thanks, this sounds very heartening :)

well at least a job. I applied to many firms and no replies at all. :(

Wow, really? was thinking of trying for govt sector after a year at my current coy.

If anything my main concern is if i do change jobs, my new employer might not want to pay me high because of my low starting salary.

Hope Govt Sector will be receptive to my application next year!

I got a PT degree with RMIT while working as a trading support officer in a brokerage house. Left them and joined a finance institution for ~6000 (include allowance) as research consultant last year.

It's more about your connections and experience you learn in the job. To me concepts like degree from which uni / diffrerent honours classes etc. are worthless and only people who achieve little in life will keep harping on those.

Oh UOL banking and finance hehehe...i graduated with that (2nd lowers too) in 2004 and had a starting pay of $1800 in operations... For non-sales position you could probably find some bank back office operations role.. The key thing is networking and moving around, after 1-2 years the degree doesn't matter anymore who you know and your job experience will be what people consider le.

Wow!!! Your starting pay as a UOL degree holder is only $1800. That's kind of demoralizing. No offense. My diploma starting pay is $1800 in year 2007.

I hope you're earning more right now (Year 2011).

I asked because I'm currently taking part-time degree with UOL (Econs and Finance) and based from your starting pay, that's disheartening.

Hope you can share some good news.

Sian. got a friend managed to secure a job as auditor with big 4. 2.8k starting salary.

somemore results no honours...zzz.

Wah your fren good la. First class honours not even called for interview.... zzzzzzzzzzz

hmm, try lower your expecting pay?

I was shopping around with an expectation of 2.2-2.4 and that's how i got my job.

If you have no connections, its going to be tough to get into MNC, if you want to get into private sector you have to expect that they view DL degrees as a form of advanced diploma..hence the lower pay...sucks man..

inutin suffereth
 

Eh yah man my starting damm sad $1800... only in January 2005.. BUT! its much better now hehe around $5400 hehe

That's a relief. Thanks for the good news. :-)

If you don't mind, can you tell us what you do for a living that earn that much?

Regional corporate banking credit analyst in a small offshore bank.

I heard UOL degree, can fetch higher pay than other degrees, such as RMIT and Monash.

Wonder if it's true.. I heard from a HR personnel that UOL is more difficult to pass and for distance learning degrees, UOL has a better 'name' than others...

But of course, compared to NTU and NUS, it's somewhat lower.

If that's the case.. then what's the point of taking up higher studies? Might as well stay as diploma status?

tiepyri expenses
 

Some banks offer you clerical rank if you are only diploma status..

In Singapore, if you want to climb in the corporate ladder and have higher pay, a Degree is minimum requirement. There's no point debating about it.

But of course, having a degree does NOT guarantee success. If you don't have a Degree, you can be still be a property agent, insurance agent or an entrepreneur (just to name a few) and you can still earn more that those with degrees, maybe even become a millionaire.

We don't force you to take up higher studies. You're not being held with a gun pointing on your head and forced you to take a degree. If you're happy with a diploma, so be it.

With or without a degree, luck plays a big role.

In the end, when you die, no amount of money or high status can make your way to Heaven. You'll be judge by your actions and intentions.

Remember, be nice to others.

May I know how much internship and experience you got beside your SMU degree?

bad experience
 

Actually I signed up the course and I have not receive the offer letter before school start date. I inquiry about it through email they told me to wait. Their information provided from the point I apply to receive the offer is contrasting between different person and they are not sure of what they are telling me. I was told a ridiculous thing: "once i sign the PTE contract, i am accepted. " The question is whose degree am I taking ? Furthermore, the course coordinator is hiding behind the screen and refuse to speak. When I received the offer letter, I went back to helpdesk because the dateline for registration of course was closed. The helpdesk told me that I can still proceed on the lecture and stuffs without having an offer of acceptance. They told me I am lucky to receive before school starts as many of the student still have not received it yet and they still going to lectures. When I reached home, I think repeatedly. Then, I decided to withdraw myself from the course. A good reputation doesn't mean it is not a tom dick and harry school. What will a bad management result to in the future? - we taking cert if for the future.

Think: what will happen to those students who continue on the course without receiving the offer letter? - they will have to pay for the expensive school fees and waste a year there.

I wonder if such a case will occur or it has had already silently occurring each year without notice.

Well at least you've got 2.3k, I just graduated from uol too, degree in business, second upper, and I just got a job paying 2k.. =)

a degree is a degree, it just opens doors to interviews, doesn't give you a job

why be lazy and stop at a diploma if you can afford a degree?

understand the "minimum effective dosage" if you want to work as a cog in the system

Well, i think its fair to say that its an investment. I'm planning to go for a master's after 3 years of working. Have to remain competitive if you want to stay in the rat race...

today is my confirmation, hope to increase my pay by a 100

Wow! Graduated from UOL and you get only $2k? that's demoralizing. No offense.

I'm a diploma holder. After 3.5 years in the working world, my current salary is $2k.
At present, I'm taking a part-time degree from UOL and from your $2k starting salary, I'm starting to think that I'm wasting my money and time taking higher studies @ UOL. I hope I'm not making the wrong choice.

Do you mind sharing what industry are you working in?

In Singapore, degree and diploma got big difference, but MBA and degree little difference lar. Any clown got money to spend can also get some part time private U or NUS/NTU MBA, where got value add?

If one to get Masters at least get something specialised and useful like the Engineering or Life Science or IT related majors. After that can at least move up to specialist roles.

So when you take UOL what kind of pay increase are you looking for exactly? No offense to you also, but if your UOL degree is generic business admin or humanities go outside look for job at most co. will only consider you as fresh local degree grad ~2.4k.

It all depends on your expectations, if you study as some sort of self development for the future, it will help you career wise modestly over long term. But if you are expecting some sort of significant jump in pay, dun think it will happen.

What ~2.4k? With generic business admin degree can go into investment banking with starting pay at least ~240k. That's why all the engineers regretted not studying business admin and losing out to their peers.

You mentioned "UOL degree is generic business admin or humanities go outside look for job at most co. will only consider you as fresh local degree grad ~2.4k."

How about UOL Accounting and Finance?? i might be dreaming but is it possible getting an increment to between 2.5k-3k after graduated?

it's possible, depends on the cable link you have upon entering the company, ie, network. if not, you have to climb the ladder lawfully.

you need to get ACCA afterwards and CPA as well to move on.

but i had a frd who graduated last year from UOL and managed to get hold of a job just recently. i guess market must have been harsh on UOL these days.

If you really want my honest opinion, yes you can. But you have to ask yourself whether it's worth lor. You can join a big4 (they take in any Tom Dick Harry these days as cheap labour) start at 2.7k now, but they really work you like a bloody cow.

Joining big MNC as Finance Executive will be much harder because competition very fierce and UOL is kinda "bleh" compared to the local U.

Big4 = no life.

Don't make the same mistake I did last time, was wowed by the brand name and thought going there and chiong no day no night for a few years will open up door to lucrative jobs in MNCs after that.

When I left after 3 years to join corporate finance, so many people also got big4 experience it wasn't worth much to companies. In the end join TNT as an accountant for 4k, not too bad for 3 yrs exp, but now think back totally not worth it. I could have a much easier life and still get 3.5k after 3 years in a big co.

I do not have a degree and did not regret not getting one after stopping at Poly Diploma, for I know I'm not of the material for studying. Been changing jobs a couple of times in Engineering before finally ended up working offshore on semi subs as a hydraulic technician. It's not as safe as working in the offices of big four or other companies, I have to admit. But it pays and I'm drawing US$13.5K with 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off. It allows me to pursue some personal interests during my off days, which is the thing that attracts me to this industry. And yes, they do pay during my off day if you ask, albeit a couple of thousand bucks lower for not having to face the risks of working offshore.