How much are you earning per annum?

38 this year - grad NUS (Comp Science) in 1998
still do not know how to program but master of the copy, paste and amend skill :-)

Snr IT Dev Mgr in MNC Bank
12k/mth + 2k car allowance = 167k basic + av 3 mths bonus
so total around 200k/yr

i honestly think i am overpaid for the domain knowledge that i have but yrs of working with FT esp the really intelligent ones from India have honed my skills in articulation and presentation...(read it as TCSS for us locals).....thank you FT!

Originally Posted by Anonymous

So are you suggesting that it is perhaps better to suck in school so that
(i) if you screw up at work, it's fine and expected hence you wouldn't feel unhappy, but
(ii) if you actually earn a meagre pay which is slightly higher than others who did better than you in school, you can feel smug and happy, and be more contented about life?

Nobody choose to do badly in school. How happy you are with your salary depends on your expectations. All I'm saying is academic achievers are bound to have higher expectations since they have greater chance of success in life. When that did not materialise, it's natural for them to feel sore and unhappy.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

You are right. I went to the best school and Junior College in the land of Temasek, did an engineering degree and made the mistake of getting an engineering job for the 1st 6 years of life.

That mistake has defined my life till now.

I could only escape to lecturing in a poly. Now 40 y.o drawing only about 120K+ (and I am in a talent grooming programme LOL)!

120k? Are you at course manager level?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

sounds like me too, PSLE = 265, O level in RI = 7A1s, A level in NJC = 4A, failed to get into Medicine, went to do Electrical Engineering in NUS, graduated with 2nd upper hons.
Graduated in 2001, just before 9/11. Got HP job, survived through 2003 SARS with no pay increment. Finally got sacked on 2005 due to restructuring. Went to study full time masters in NUS, found another engineering job 4k. Pay freeze in 2008-9 due to financial crisis. Now pay is only 5k, age 37.

At age 37 (borned in 1975) you should graduate in 2000. What happened?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

38 this year - grad NUS (Comp Science) in 1998
still do not know how to program but master of the copy, paste and amend skill :-)

Snr IT Dev Mgr in MNC Bank
12k/mth + 2k car allowance = 167k basic + av 3 mths bonus
so total around 200k/yr

i honestly think i am overpaid for the domain knowledge that i have but yrs of working with FT esp the really intelligent ones from India have honed my skills in articulation and presentation...(read it as TCSS for us locals).....thank you FT!

Is it SCB?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

38 this year - grad NUS (Comp Science) in 1998
still do not know how to program but master of the copy, paste and amend skill :-)

Snr IT Dev Mgr in MNC Bank
12k/mth + 2k car allowance = 167k basic + av 3 mths bonus
so total around 200k/yr

i honestly think i am overpaid for the domain knowledge that i have but yrs of working with FT esp the really intelligent ones from India have honed my skills in articulation and presentation...(read it as TCSS for us locals).....thank you FT!

how is the politics, working hours and stress level for your job?

i'm close to your age (36) and pay (190K p.a.), but from vendor side (non banking).

i get halls from head hunters, but wondering it it's worth it to switch over to a client environment?

[Anonymous]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Nobody choose to do badly in school. How happy you are with your salary depends on your expectations. All I'm saying is academic achievers are bound to have higher expectations since they have greater chance of success in life. When that did not materialise, it's natural for them to feel sore and unhappy.

So what is your implied point then? I'm not asking about the observation. The observation in itself is plain and meaningless - it is as good as not stating anything at all. What's more interesting however, is what you are implying with the statement. How do you feel about it? You said you felt sorry for them. It sounds to me as though you are gloating.

Originally Posted by Anonymous

So what is your implied point then? I'm not asking about the observation. The observation in itself is plain and meaningless - it is as good as not stating anything at all. What's more interesting however, is what you are implying with the statement. How do you feel about it? You said you felt sorry for them. It sounds to me as though you are gloating.

You are such a complicated person. Maybe you can advise a better way to phrase myself so that I do not sound to you as though I am gloating. Maybe you just enjoy criticising or judging or advising other people in a forum? You should learn to be genuinely humble and see the good side of people around you. Your family, friends, colleagues are the ones that are going to be affected by your " I know best" attitude, not unknown strangers in a forum.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Is it SCB?

nope but close...;-)

apologizes but would not like to disclose else if one is from that organisation, you could probably guess who i am - the sad fact is that there are not many locals left in this line due to all the FT....

Originally Posted by IT Professional

how is the politics, working hours and stress level for your job?

i'm close to your age (36) and pay (190K p.a.), but from vendor side (non banking).

i get halls from head hunters, but wondering it it's worth it to switch over to a client environment?

politics - i am by nature easy-going , so i suppose i get along with everybody...of course being the head of the team (of 20 FTE) means that there is no real "competitor" of mine here in SG, the 1 other thing is to make it a point not to hire anyone who is "overly-ambitious" ..thankfully i have a good nose for sniffing those out at the onset..:-)

working hours - 24 hours - the BB is like your personal small arms which you must learn to shoot with pace and accuracy before sh*t comes pouring on your head

stress level - well, i am having the time to suft this forum, so what do you think? :-)
stress/pressure gives me the adrenalin to get the job done, otherwise i will prob be bored and start looking for a new job. also because its MNC and lots of night calls, i make a point not to have calls from 7-9pm so that i can get home, have dinner and play with the kids...


I was from the vendor too before crossing over to the "Dark Side" a few years ago - there will be obviously the pros and cons either side of the fence but if you ask me, its much easier to be a vendor as its project-based with the clear finishing line when that congratulatory go-live email is sent. you then just need to tahan another month or so of warranty and then pass the mess to the support teams...

As a system owner with the bank (like now for me), the nightmare starts upon BAU when all the little skeletons stuffed in the closet (by the vendor) start to creep out and by this time, the vendor is happily sipping pina colada in the maldives....