social science/arts degree prospects

[vanvanv4n]

hi, lately feel really discouraged by salary figures for arts/social science graduates.. i know I shoudnt expect much as compared to a professional or technical degree, but any social science or arts graduates out there making a good amount could give me some hope? it's all negative out here. am considering forgoing my passion to switch to business or something cause of financial concerns :/ I know I sound really materialistic sigh, actually scored straight As for my A levels and now I kinda regret not choosing something more practical. Any advise?

some background:
looking at majoring in pol sci/sociology
aiming for second upper/first class hons

Hey man i was in the same situation as you a while back. I graduated a few years ago into a front office position at a large foreign bank (i drew a starting of 9k/mth as a fresh grad back then so its likely even higher now). So im not a troll so lmk if you wanna know more.

1) unlike you i did econs which is arguably more employable
2) you are right that if you want a high paying job, fass is not the place to go. Nope.
3) that said, use the 7 UEs you have to your full advantage. Learn all the necessary skills. You are in the wrong course, so you need to put in the extra effort to learn the necessary skills. You think of employment very early, if you put in the effort now you are very likely get there.
4) this is prob the most impt point. Do as many good internships as you can, and do them early. You also need at least a First Class to compete with technical grads for the jobs you want.

Lastly you need to be clear of what you want. I started worrying for my employment only as i was heading to my third year. So my last 2 years of school were very tough as i had to juggle with extra courses and internships. If you wanna go into MBB consulting for example, do your case competitions and make the necessary contacts throughout your uni life. Btw salary is not the only thing you should look at - id say go for the starting job that maximises your lifetime satisfaction (which is why you need to know what you want in life)

You have time so dont worry too much

Friend, those entry jobs which you are expecting to get into are very competitive such as top MAP, MBB consulting, trading, investment banking and top technical jobs in google, facebook etc.


Yes you really need a fch in arts and social science studies to compete with the likes from competitive business, accountancy, computer science students from NUS/NTU/SMU and top overseas unis. If you major in econs with competency in a third language and is good looking with a confident and pleasant personality, that may level the playing field. Of course if your family has top level connections with some of the top hirers then is a different story.


As what the above poster mentioned know what you want and preserve.

[vanvanv4n]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hey man i was in the same situation as you a while back. I graduated a few years ago into a front office position at a large foreign bank (i drew a starting of 9k/mth as a fresh grad back then so its likely even higher now). So im not a troll so lmk if you wanna know more.

1) unlike you i did econs which is arguably more employable
2) you are right that if you want a high paying job, fass is not the place to go. Nope.
3) that said, use the 7 UEs you have to your full advantage. Learn all the necessary skills. You are in the wrong course, so you need to put in the extra effort to learn the necessary skills. You think of employment very early, if you put in the effort now you are very likely get there.
4) this is prob the most impt point. Do as many good internships as you can, and do them early. You also need at least a First Class to compete with technical grads for the jobs you want.

Lastly you need to be clear of what you want. I started worrying for my employment only as i was heading to my third year. So my last 2 years of school were very tough as i had to juggle with extra courses and internships. If you wanna go into MBB consulting for example, do your case competitions and make the necessary contacts throughout your uni life. Btw salary is not the only thing you should look at - id say go for the starting job that maximises your lifetime satisfaction (which is why you need to know what you want in life)

You have time so dont worry too much

Hey, thanks lots for such an informative reply!! Yeah, I haven't even entered my first year so I still have a choice to switch to business, but I really really suck at mathematics so I don't think I would go into economics / accountancy. But I know I'm rather persistent and I can work quite hard, so basic math should not be a problem.

My interest honestly lies only in the arts/socsci, and if I do switch to business it would be solely for practical and materialistic reasons (unless I start liking business!). Do you think, if I do major in say, sociology but take lots of modules from biz or something, it'd help? What I want in future.. ahh.. I want to have the luxury of traveling lots, of contributing to alleviate social issues.. haha.

(Wow! 9k! You sound like a really determined person and I'm really happy for you! If we could take this to PM or email it'd be awesome too )

Originally Posted by vanvanv4n

Hey, thanks lots for such an informative reply!! Yeah, I haven't even entered my first year so I still have a choice to switch to business, but I really really suck at mathematics so I don't think I would go into economics / accountancy. But I know I'm rather persistent and I can work quite hard, so basic math should not be a problem.

My interest honestly lies only in the arts/socsci, and if I do switch to business it would be solely for practical and materialistic reasons (unless I start liking business!). Do you think, if I do major in say, sociology but take lots of modules from biz or something, it'd help? What I want in future.. ahh.. I want to have the luxury of traveling lots, of contributing to alleviate social issues.. haha.

(Wow! 9k! You sound like a really determined person and I'm really happy for you! If we could take this to PM or email it'd be awesome too )

Great! Time is on your side then! Do plenty of internships, make use of beyond your UEs! I took extra modules just so I could learn more. Modules that are based entirely on a large project provides the best learning experience and excellent topics for sharing in interviews.

Employers are looking out for students with "life experience", who are driven, flexible and are able to learn quickly (aka adapt). I wouldn't say joining FASS is a mistake. I think it is important to know why you chose it, and explain that to your employer. Much of the stuff we learn in school are not applicable at work anw. Lastly and most importantly, socialise and make friends, work in teams.

I just graduated in psychology and found a decent job in the finance industry. Yes, it wasn't easy for me to compete against peers with technical degrees or even 1-2 years of working exp. But you just gotta flaunt your passion, logical thinking and communication skills!

Good luck freshie! Go enjoy your FOC!

So how much exactly do you want when you graduate? It is hard to advise if you are not precise. What is reasonable pay for some might not be good enough for others.

[vanvanv4n]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Great! Time is on your side then! Do plenty of internships, make use of beyond your UEs! I took extra modules just so I could learn more. Modules that are based entirely on a large project provides the best learning experience and excellent topics for sharing in interviews.

Employers are looking out for students with "life experience", who are driven, flexible and are able to learn quickly (aka adapt). I wouldn't say joining FASS is a mistake. I think it is important to know why you chose it, and explain that to your employer. Much of the stuff we learn in school are not applicable at work anw. Lastly and most importantly, socialise and make friends, work in teams.

I just graduated in psychology and found a decent job in the finance industry. Yes, it wasn't easy for me to compete against peers with technical degrees or even 1-2 years of working exp. But you just gotta flaunt your passion, logical thinking and communication skills!

Good luck freshie! Go enjoy your FOC!

Congratulations! And thank you so much for the advise !

I suppose my dilemma is whether I should study what I like and enrich myself with practical modules, worry about employment and financial matters thereafter or commit myself to 3/4 years of something I may not really enjoy, find enjoyment in modules I can take with my UEs, and be secure in employment and financial matters thereafter. But it all depends on me right? hahah!

[vanvanv4n]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

So how much exactly do you want when you graduate? It is hard to advise if you are not precise. What is reasonable pay for some might not be good enough for others.

I'm looking at >$3.5k and I hope to take home $6K-8K++ some years later (< 5-10 years, is that possible?) Apologies if I come across as entitled and idealistic, I'm not v familiar w incomes and all!

Originally Posted by vanvanv4n

I'm looking at >$3.5k and I hope to take home $6K-8K++ some years later (< 5-10 years, is that possible?) Apologies if I come across as entitled and idealistic, I'm not v familiar w incomes and all!

That should not be a problem if you join the public sector as a 2:1 or FCH humanities grad. Starting pay in certain public sector organizations are already >4k and bonus, increases are all pretty much fixed with job security to add.

As for private sector, pay progression is more about corporate politics and ladder climbing then it is about type of degree. Do not fall into the typical narrow minded Singaporean mentality of banking/finance all the time, spend more time to understand what are your interests. Banking has a more flamboyant and ostentatious environment, but it doesn't mean they are really that high paying save for the minority niche jobs.

As a recruiter I am always amused when some averagely paid banking VP comes to me during interview in an arrogant manner demanding that I assure them that my client can afford his "banking pay". In certain occasions I had to tell them gently they are significantly below my client's budget and they need to convince my client they are up to the job.

[vanvanv4n]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

That should not be a problem if you join the public sector as a 2:1 or FCH humanities grad. Starting pay in certain public sector organizations are already >4k and bonus, increases are all pretty much fixed with job security to add.

As for private sector, pay progression is more about corporate politics and ladder climbing then it is about type of degree. Do not fall into the typical narrow minded Singaporean mentality of banking/finance all the time, spend more time to understand what are your interests. Banking has a more flamboyant and ostentatious environment, but it doesn't mean they are really that high paying save for the minority niche jobs.

As a recruiter I am always amused when some averagely paid banking VP comes to me during interview in an arrogant manner demanding that I assure them that my client can afford his "banking pay". In certain occasions I had to tell them gently they are significantly below my client's budget and they need to convince my client they are up to the job.

Hey, thanks for the reply! Sorry, may I know what's 2:1? Yeah I think I'm really consumed by the banking/finance/money mentality but I'll think this through, maybe really just go for where my interest lies (arts/socsci).