Unregistered |
09-08-2014 09:38 PM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
(Post 54318)
Aiya, you think really policy work meh? If you are in a ministry and non-scholar, most prob is arrange meetings, write minutes, collate info from stat boards or industry. Even if you are scholar also bo pao u do policy work ok? They need to determine if you have the higher level wtf policy thinking before letting you sniff a bit of policy work. All in all, policy work means write minutes and arrange so-called high level meetings. Book rooms la, set up projectors la, revise that PowerPoint slide for the zillionth times la. So many policy ppl here so u get Aku's idea la. U complain to management , they will tell u that u need to learn the higher level thinking from these meetings. so u keep quiet and learn. By the time u reached 3rd year, you forget how to speak up properly in meetings sia.
You in stat boards lagi jialat. Policy work confirm plus chop is arrange meetings and write minutes. Remember hor, when you write minutes must be in reported speech. No problem for that ah hiang who graduated with 2nd upper. His English must be powerful one. But Aku also find his pride a bit silly. Top ministry? Hmmmm, so he think he executive in top ministry very good hor?
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Just to allow for an alternative perspective - I was in a SB's Policy Division when I first graduated from college, and it is not true that fresh hires will be stuck in secretariat-like work. No doubt as a fresh hire one would have to take the initiative for such work, but I also had the chance to partake in actual work such as the drafting of papers. Policy work has a lot to do with writing, and such work can go back and forth between divisions within the SB itself or other agencies. For instance, amendment to a single clause in an Act would require ample input from various divisions and agencies, justification and clearance in a form of a paper. You also have to be comfortable defending views from other divisions and agencies. Such papers more often than not also require multiple amendments. Sounds tedious, but it makes sense. It is ludicrous to think that refinement of policies can be done in a jiffy - such is the nature of Policy work in civil service
But I digress.
I cannot speak for ministries, but what I can share from my experience in a SB that fresh hires do get exposure to actual work in Policy. It is not just the arrangement of meetings and minute-taking. And while the experience in Policy might not be that transferable outside of CS, it is valuable within the CS. Colleagues in Policy have ample opportunities to be seconded to other agencies. Likewise, large corporations sometimes have divisions that specialize in maintaining relations and etc. with the government. That remains an option for individuals in Policy as well.
Hope this helps others who are thinking of a career in Policy or related divisions within the CS.
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