Graduate income

Don't do engineering. It's the easy way out when you are lost and without the benefit of wisdom from those that had gone before.

Do a bit more thinking, a bit more talking to people, and train yourself to socialize & network well with people; improve on your communication skills; so that engineering is not the only and "safe" option for you.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Don't do engineering. It's the easy way out when you are lost and without the benefit of wisdom from those that had gone before.

Do a bit more thinking, a bit more talking to people, and train yourself to socialize & network well with people; improve on your communication skills; so that engineering is not the only and "safe" option for you.

Agree
If you aspire to live district 9,10,11 condo (say 1.8m), drive a 2k cc car (say camry 140k) and play golf ( membership 80k), consider only banking, law or medicine.

Typical engineer like me live in hdb, take bus or mrt, no golf, and can only save <2k a month ... now i know i have no luck in speed dating sessions!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Mr Chew.... So many kind engineers who're already waist-deep in the quicksand.. with their last few breath... trying their very best to warn you not to enter engineering while you still have the choice...
Despite so many pple want you to LIVE.. but you still want to choose to DIE!!! Well, if that's the case, come on jump in.. The DEVIL is waiting with open arms to eat your soul... Don't say nobody warn you!!!...

Ah Chew thinks he can do well in engineering (despite "A" levels ACC) and go into other well paying industries. The truth is he will be stuck working as an engineer alongside 99% FTs after he graduates with mediocre results.

[Chewbm]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Agree
If you aspire to live district 9,10,11 condo (say 1.8m), drive a 2k cc car (say camry 140k) and play golf ( membership 80k), consider only banking, law or medicine.

Typical engineer like me live in hdb, take bus or mrt, no golf, and can only save <2k a month ... now i know i have no luck in speed dating sessions!

Yea after much consultation, engineering is never the course I though it would be like. But as I said the law medicine and banking is out of my league already, considering my grades. Now Im makin a decision to get into SMU arts and social science, which I have interest in as well. But of course I have to research more before puting in as my first choice.

Originally Posted by Chewbm

Yea after much consultation, engineering is never the course I though it would be like. But as I said the law medicine and banking is out of my league already, considering my grades. Now Im makin a decision to get into SMU arts and social science, which I have interest in as well. But of course I have to research more before puting in as my first choice.

at least there are more girls there and prettier too. good choice!

Originally Posted by Chewbm

Yea after much consultation, engineering is never the course I though it would be like. But as I said the law medicine and banking is out of my league already, considering my grades. Now Im makin a decision to get into SMU arts and social science, which I have interest in as well. But of course I have to research more before puting in as my first choice.

Mr Chew... You finally see the light.....
Many years from now.. when you look at the rest of your silly peers who decided to jump in the pit of fire into engineering earning peanuts...
You'll be damn thankful you've listened to our good advice...

Originally Posted by Chewbm

Yea after much consultation, engineering is never the course I though it would be like. But as I said the law medicine and banking is out of my league already, considering my grades. Now Im makin a decision to get into SMU arts and social science, which I have interest in as well. But of course I have to research more before puting in as my first choice.

Thats an easier course , which gives u more time to devote to the career search, but does take away the safety net of engr somewhat. With engr, at least if all else fails, you are relatively assured of a comfy $3k job thats not going to make u rich but has a lot of stability.

With arts and social science, there is no obvious outlet hence starting pay tends to be lower than for other majors.

Just need to go in with ur eyes open - that once u go in, u hv to work twice as or three times as hard as your course mates to land a well paying job. Cos if u drift along like everyone else, u wld end up in the average band, and the average band of arts and social sciences grads arent high salary earners.

Now before i get flamed by some arts and social science grad, let me say that im just speaking based on hard salary statistics without context. If any arts and social science grads can provide context to the numbers ie in terms of the type of jobs the avg bander can expect to get and the future prospects, that will help in the discussion .

Can't really agree with describing engineering as a safe and comfy $3k job. Firstly the safe part lasts as long as you are less than 35, beyond that age any hirer will prefer younger engineers. they are more relevant and sharp. experience in engineering don't always count, engineering/it technology progresses faster than any other fields. A lawyer/acountant/doctor commands higher pay when they age and gathers experience in their field. An engineer who is the best in the world in FORTRAN or COBOL or ANALOG CIRCUIT DESIGN is worthless today. Companies need that fresh grad who is at home with java and some such latest engineering skills. A doctor who focused even on obscure fields like finger muscle atrophy will be greatly prized as he ages and gains more knowledge, because the human finger basically do not change.

Secondly the comfy part is a myth. Engineers has a low $/effort ratio in their job. that $3k job may require the engineer to be on call 24/7 and fire fight late into the night on any day for a myriad of problems that may arise on the shop floor, or at customers' premise.

But don't get it wrong. Engineering is a noble profession. Napoleon set up special schools (Grandes Ecoles) that caters to training engineers, and regards the profession as higher as medicine or law. However, one should be cognizant of the culture in which you will practise engineering.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thats an easier course , which gives u more time to devote to the career search, but does take away the safety net of engr somewhat. With engr, at least if all else fails, you are relatively assured of a comfy $3k job thats not going to make u rich but has a lot of stability.

With arts and social science, there is no obvious outlet hence starting pay tends to be lower than for other majors.

Just need to go in with ur eyes open - that once u go in, u hv to work twice as or three times as hard as your course mates to land a well paying job. Cos if u drift along like everyone else, u wld end up in the average band, and the average band of arts and social sciences grads arent high salary earners.

Now before i get flamed by some arts and social science grad, let me say that im just speaking based on hard salary statistics without context. If any arts and social science grads can provide context to the numbers ie in terms of the type of jobs the avg bander can expect to get and the future prospects, that will help in the discussion .

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Can't really agree with describing engineering as a safe and comfy $3k job. Firstly the safe part lasts as long as you are less than 35, beyond that age any hirer will prefer younger engineers. they are more relevant and sharp. experience in engineering don't always count, engineering/it technology progresses faster than any other fields. A lawyer/acountant/doctor commands higher pay when they age and gathers experience in their field. An engineer who is the best in the world in FORTRAN or COBOL or ANALOG CIRCUIT DESIGN is worthless today. Companies need that fresh grad who is at home with java and some such latest engineering skills. A doctor who focused even on obscure fields like finger muscle atrophy will be greatly prized as he ages and gains more knowledge, because the human finger basically do not change.

Secondly the comfy part is a myth. Engineers has a low $/effort ratio in their job. that $3k job may require the engineer to be on call 24/7 and fire fight late into the night on any day for a myriad of problems that may arise on the shop floor, or at customers' premise.

But don't get it wrong. Engineering is a noble profession. Napoleon set up special schools (Grandes Ecoles) that caters to training engineers, and regards the profession as higher as medicine or law. However, one should be cognizant of the culture in which you will practise engineering.

I used to be an engineer, am in a bank now, and my observations are
1. As an engineer u r nvr worried about getting fired, but in a bank u hear about this every week
2. As an engineer, i was nvr worried i ciuldnt find a job at similar pay lvls. $3k a mth jobs could be found everywhere, relevant exp or not . Now, at a bank, if i lose my job, i cld be out for 6mths to 2yrs before i found an equivalent paying job. Or potentially look at a 30 to 50pc cut in salary if im eager to jump back into the job mkt

Originally Posted by Unregistered

I used to be an engineer, am in a bank now, and my observations are
1. As an engineer u r nvr worried about getting fired, but in a bank u hear about this every week
2. As an engineer, i was nvr worried i ciuldnt find a job at similar pay lvls. $3k a mth jobs could be found everywhere, relevant exp or not . Now, at a bank, if i lose my job, i cld be out for 6mths to 2yrs before i found an equivalent paying job. Or potentially look at a 30 to 50pc cut in salary if im eager to jump back into the job mkt

Basically that's because low paying job is easy to come by than high paying job. This cannot be taken as a plus point for working as an engineer compared to a bank lah!