[Degree Holder] Public or Private?
 

Would like to know the opinion of ppl with good honors but non-scholar who choose public services as their first job.... were u concerned that the moment u stepped in, u will be more or less be capped by the 11k ceiling (MX10)?

while i think that this is alr a decent amount.. it may still be considered low compared to the earning potential of someone who went into private. Of cos, i do realize that there will be some ppl who will do worse... but is the income ceiling a reasonable trade off to hedge against the latter case?

Also, is it easy to swtich from private to public? would a mid career entrance have a lower pay and slower career progression compared to someone who started in the public service of similar qualification, performance and age?
and wat about the vice versa case.. can someone from public sector moved to the private sector easily (assuming u have specialized skills such as econs/stats/etc)?

if u gt substance, go private.

if u nuah and cmi, go public.

all of my friends who wanted to switch from private to public, did it very easily.
none of my friends who wants to switch from public to private have done it successfully.

it also depends on what sort of job you are holding in public sector.
if you are doing things like policy-making, very few private sector employers will see any transferable skills.
but if you are doing things like marketing, IT etc, maybe there will be more private sector employers who are interested in your skill set.

if in doubt, starting off in the private sector is a safer choice.

problem is dunno i got substance anot... n based on hearsay, sometimes a good performer may also not move up the corporate ladder if dunno how to play office politics.

did ur friend who move from private to public have lower wage and slower progression compared to someone who started off in the public sector?

your first/first two jobs quite impt cos it gives you the exposure and tune your mindset.

gd if you go into a 'competitive or performance based' culture in private sector. you start off working hard, learn as much as possible, develop your skills/abilities/competencies etc. it will give you a good foundation as you move up in the future. of cos, you can be subjected to retrenchment if market or coy not doing well.

public sector normally has a more 'shielded' environment and qualifications play a very big part in your progress. that is not to say that its easy in public sector. its not an iron rice bowl anymore but then they still cannot anyhow retrench you. if you not performing, at most you just stuck there and receive your measly pay every mth. but yup, it can be hard if you move to private cos you are not used to the culture in private sector.

If you're aggressive and want higher pay fast, please join the private sector as public sector will never give you that unless you are an elite scholar on elite programme. By elite I mean tier 1 PSC scholarships.

Else it'll be better to join the private where your accomplishments speak for themselves and probably higher chance to scale up the ladder faster. While it is true that jumping from private to public is easier, note that unless you're holding high positions in private or have special skill sets that are relevant, you will face a pay cut most of the time (unless you're underpaid in the market's context while in private).

And yes, it is harder for public to jump to private unless you have special skills that are transferable, and that you are at least a middle management going to senior management level.

thank you for the response. it more or less shaped my decisions.

so wats ur decision, do share. :)

I think i will try my best to get into the private first... but i probably wont join it for the sake of joining... I want to do something that is related to what im studying (both private and public offer me such opportunities). i have already identified certain field of interest in the private sector, but unfortunately, entrance can be quite competitive... if i cant get into the field im interested in, then i will probably head to the public sector.

Fresh graduates want to think that they ought to start off in the private sector because it is more dynamic and offers more room for growth. However, many end up with mediocre pay, long hours of work and slow progression. They also tend to believe that they can switch to civil service easily at a later stage of their career, having accumulated adequate experience in the private sector. On the contrary, the selection process for a government job is far more stringent than what many think, with academic credential being an important consideration. Out of all who applied, only a handful manage to get in.