Ntu sociology degree

Originally Posted by jobhunter1234

Yea. I think in general SMU biz is better. However, TS might not be able to score what she has gotten for her sociology major. SMU biz is very competitive and being just good is not enough. I won't be surprised if nowadays SMU biz students are having difficulties in finding jobs. Everywhere is reducing headcounts and big MNCs might not need so many biz grads but more of those with technical backgrounds. Maybe someone from SMU biz could enlighten us.

Banks are freezing headcounts. Some industries is expanding, eg. property and reits. Business grads are morphs, they fit in everywhere. SMU Biz hardly have a hard time finding job. The school would not allow them to do so. Once they grad and haven't find job within 2 months, they will get calls from school. Their career centre is the most efficient of the three uni. They don't get their name out of nothing. If you look around, there are seldom disgruntled SMU grads.

SMU Biz is competitive, that is really true. In fact, the SMU/NUS/NTU are competitive and difficult.

haha wah seems like everyone is thrashing has a negative opinion on soci lol.

[khozh]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Thank you for posting the article. One of the best things that sums up situation in Singapore. Off topic, but i felt that we should all understand that not everyone is going to be super successful. Take the hard truth, stop dreaming about earning millions without doing something creative or starting business. We are now suffering from the side effects of rapid economic progression. Not much people broke 10k barrier.

Back to TS. Find something that best combines passion with pragmatism. Is there something you can do well too? Maybe doing an engineering degree with a minor in sociology?
Your learning does not stop at the university. You can always learn more by self-reading.

Maybe sociology grads can find a job in marketing and communications area. I know that this departments hires mostly humanities grads. I am in an asset management company, and this is what I see.

Hmmm the thing is I have a biz ad diploma and i majored in marketing. I cannot apply to an engineering course because I am ineligible to do so but I wouldnt if i could as i have no interest in engineering whatsoever lol. But yeah i do understand what you're saying. This might sound like a dumb question and i think i probably know the answer but if i were to be armed with a soci degree in the mkting or comms department, would i be able to go far? Like would i get overlooked because of my major in soci?

Originally Posted by khozh

Hmmm the thing is I have a biz ad diploma and i majored in marketing. I cannot apply to an engineering course because I am ineligible to do so but I wouldnt if i could as i have no interest in engineering whatsoever lol. But yeah i do understand what you're saying. This might sound like a dumb question and i think i probably know the answer but if i were to be armed with a soci degree in the mkting or comms department, would i be able to go far? Like would i get overlooked because of my major in soci?

Engineering with minor is just an example. What I'm saying is, if you can apply to perhaps business minor in sociology if you're really keen. Try not to use sociology as a main degree.

The difficult part is getting through recruitment. Once you land in your first job, you are on track. How you'd penetrate through piles of application with the likes of liberal arts degree, engineering degree or business degree is what you should worry about. A degree is just a door opener especially in marcoms where it's more of personal skills than knowledge. Marcoms is a rewarding career i must say, never mundane, always happening. Many people actually aim for those jobs. If you are good you'll be paid well, just like any other industries.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

haha wah seems like everyone is thrashing has a negative opinion on soci lol.

Everyone is anonymous. We give honest feedback of what we know without fear of anything. It's the beauty of this forum.

And also Singapore is pragmatic nation. In fact, everywhere in the world is pragmatic nature these days, even America who used to pride itself as a liberal arts nation. It's true that knowledge in sociology is not unique. One can get their content by reading widely, traveling more often, and be more receptive of society norms. Universities always push those critical thinking as their value, but truth is which degree doesn't encourage critical thinking? If critical thinking is concerned, i believe engineers and science majors are miles ahead of socio grads anytime.

Don't forget all humanities is on the same boat. Sociology may well be at the sinking end. Economics, psychology and political science are the three which can most likely reach the shore. True story.

But of course it's up to individual. Something called cronyism exist. I know of a finance director in an asset management company armed with a degree in history from oxford. It's likely he's hired because he's from oxford instead of his degree. Bottom line, if you are not from oxford, forget about humanities.

after reading this thread i got so depress. I'm a poly biz grad that got offered the same course. I applied for biz course and got reject. Nevertheless i enjoy arts like sociology or political science. I'm looking at B2B sales for my first job. Should i turn down the offer and enroll into SIM instead? Or any advise?

not a good degree at all if you ask me though it can be interesting and i was even considering to do a minor at first (im from ntu as well).

back then, one classmate in jc even got into the course with CCD. he said he will work hard after ord but after first year, he totally lost interest cos its damn dry.

A degree in Sociology isn't a useless. It will change the way you see the world. You will learn to be critical about everything you read, even things that are "well-established". The course of study demands you to. I am fairly certain that this is something you won't see much of in an engineering degree, and maybe to a much smaller extent in business.

The problem with a sociology degree finding work is not as much as the degree is pointless as it is because of common misconceptions. Because the admission requirements of most Sociology degrees are lower, people tend to think that students from this major are "2nd tier". There is a stereotype, and indeed it can work against you when finding a job.

But truth is after your first job your degree (should) count for nothing (really depends on the employer though). Career path changes are not uncommon after the first job, and by then people are more concerned about what you have done with your previous employment.

Having said that, if your greatest concern is about a getting a "good" job and secure a generous starting pay, Sociology may not be your cup of tea.

sociology is the study of different groups of people living in a society. studying sociology/political science in singapore is very different to what you study when compared to the US/UK/Aussie syllabus. the SG version is heavily censored and a lot of crucial info is deliberately omitted. so after 3 years u think you're a hero after doing well for your degree but in actual fact you only know so little compared to your US/UK/Aussie counterparts. to be safe you should either do banking & finance, medicine or law degree but of course at recognised universities in SG & abroad. only then will you see the financial return in the long run. don't waste your time at private institutions studying for external degrees like UOL. you are not going to go anywhere with those type of accreditation.

I'm a sociology fresh graduate. I unds how people feel about sociology, but please do not undermine our degree or think that your degree is much better than ours.
It doesn't mean that if you study biz, you'll definitely head into banks or biz corp. Many of my NBS friends had a hard time finding jobs, now they're doing contract works in banks; which I think is a good exposure too.
If you're taking an accountancy degree, good for you, because this is one of the few degrees which offers near 100% employment.
Frankly, my sociology degree has gave me some worries after I graduated. It's indeed harder to find jobs with our degree, but so are my friends who major in EEE, Biz (banking and finance), Bioengineering etc. It all boils down to your luck. I did have my regrets when I think about my future prospects, but I guess at least I was happy with what I learnt in school.
After 3-4 months, I've found a job, some of my soci friends have already been employed prior or right after graduation; some found in a few months time; and there are others who have yet to find jobs.
I believe such situation is similar across different disciplines.
To the TS, just study what you think makes you happy. In the end, whatever job you choose, not only is it based on your luck, it also depends on your prior work experiences. Go to school, study something you like, join CCAs, make friends, network, go for internships and etc.

Good luck