Really that bad for engineers?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

alright. thanks a lot for the replies and the insight.

no, my programming and math isn't that good that I can handle the stuff u posted on that link. atleast not right now.

anyway, yes, ideally i would want to be in finance and i have already considered joining back office positions in financial industires. just that i haven't really applied because I had a friend who tried for months trying to get into back office but didn't get a single interview. and he had 3rd class honours (not much but still better than me) so i readily assumed i won't stand a chance too.

personally, and i don't mean to brag or anything, i do wish i can land at least an interview because excelling at interviews is one of my strengths. right now, the problem is that all the jobs I've applied for, I haven't managed to get even a single interview.

then again, it's been only less than a month since I started applying. I'll let you guys know of any developments. thanks a lot once again for all the advice.

Good luck. Most banks have stopped hiring. Some may switch to firing soon.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Good luck. Most banks have stopped hiring. Some may switch to firing soon.

You can join the banks to become a "live" firing target.. ha, ha... Last in, first out... Haven't you heard? Don't expect the banks to hire and train you up when they already have their own experienced people doing the job?? You are expected to be able to do the job the first day you step in.. If you can't perform, then good luck...

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Are you sure what you say is true? Only ST Aerospace pay that kind of salary. I just send my resume to ST A.

I have 8 years of engineering exp in MNC. ST A call me ask for my transcript. I am pass degree. Then they never reply me anymore.

DSTA same same....haha. Anyway, I quite despise them. Only ST Kinetic ask me to meet them without looking asking for my transcript. ST Marine never even reply.

ST aero pay is usually the highest, follow by marine, electronics, then kinetics. Kinetics = dumping ground for engineers. Just like university common engineering intake: only a handful are good, the rest are LL no choice. Good or bad engineer, pay low and prospect poor. Forget it unless you are desperate.

DSTA at least has much higher pay and no FTs.

to be frank, managers now receives more probably 2-300 resume once they advertise. For fresh grad, u need a BIG 2nd upper on the cover page to entice him for further reading. Else, your resume ends up in the delete folder. This is for RND job.

I think operational job may still consider pass graduate. Probably IT does to certain extend.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

to be frank, managers now receives more probably 2-300 resume once they advertise. For fresh grad, u need a BIG 2nd upper on the cover page to entice him for further reading. Else, your resume ends up in the delete folder. This is for RND job.

I think operational job may still consider pass graduate. Probably IT does to certain extend.

Agree. Either you have a extremely good academic achievements or you have worked in a blue chip company before will you get the attention.

Speaking of blue chip companies, I hope to ask the forummers here - would you work in a blue chip company and be ordinary or you will work in a relatively unknown/smaller company but is able to shine above others at work?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Agree. Either you have a extremely good academic achievements or you have worked in a blue chip company before will you get the attention.

Speaking of blue chip companies, I hope to ask the forummers here - would you work in a blue chip company and be ordinary or you will work in a relatively unknown/smaller company but is able to shine above others at work?

The FT policy has severely undermine our apprentice system in the industries. Before, I remember we have engineers of A levels, ITE, diplomas. That was 1997 Thomson Multimedia.

Companies trained them. My first manager was a ITE, my first supervisor, a senior engineer got only dip. Another senior engineer of my dept was just A level. The division manager is from Physics degree.

Those were the days you do not need a degree to become engineers or managers. You just need to work hard. The company train you.

Nowadays, even the most hardworking fresh grads are jobless. Today, I see no company willing to train. Everyone must perform on day 1 or get fired tomorrow. Hence, a company will rather take FT if he got 1-2 years home ground experience than Singaporeans. Even though Singaporeans may be more clever or hardworking.

This is due to our clever HR and managers. They cut cost here and there, making everything lean and cheers when see things work. In many of my previous companies, redundencies are cut. True, things keep going if 1 extremely competent engineer is around. But if that engineer left, what should managers do? They will definitely not replace the position by fresh grad. In the past, the followers or trainee of the experts will take over when he left. That creates a junior position for fresh grads.

Our current batch of politicians, leaders and managers do not understand that they are undermining the whole engineering ecology. They are screwing a whole generation of young people.

The narrow validity that companies "cannot find engineers", is not due to lack of engineering graduate per se. But rather, a system shortage that requires every position to be fill up by experience candidate through external hiring. If senior positions could be filled by internal promotions which in turns create a vacancies in junior positions, there will be no shortages.

This is the most to the point analysis about the sorry state of the engineering world I have ever seen. Someone please send this to our PM (or the opposition party). The entire engineering industry will just go downhill, or the vicious cycle will continue i.e. more FT introduced since no sane bright Singaporean student will aspire to be an engineer. I don't think this is what the government wanted. Someone in the civil service obviously cared much more about KPI than the future of our young generation (or for that matter, the future of Singapore). There is no way that Sg can be a technology hub without the apprentice system. Having worked in developed countries around the world (Japan, US), I can tell you this FT policy is uniquely Singapore.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Agree. Either you have a extremely good academic achievements or you have worked in a blue chip company before will you get the attention.

Speaking of blue chip companies, I hope to ask the forummers here - would you work in a blue chip company and be ordinary or you will work in a relatively unknown/smaller company but is able to shine above others at work?

Would you consider A^STAR (I2R) as a Blue Chip company? I did my internship there for 6 months. Would that make a difference to an employer?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Would you consider A^STAR (I2R) as a Blue Chip company? I did my internship there for 6 months. Would that make a difference to an employer?

For fresh grad, its 1st class 2 upper. Simple as that, unless you apply IA company through your previous Sup.

Only <5% eng graduates in each cohort in nus or ntu get 1st or 2nd upper hons. Only thesr fresh grad stand a chance to get into multnational companies?

So what happened to those 2nd lower or lower class hons? Wash testtubes, drive taxis, or become casino dealers?