Why Singapore graduates aren't getting the right jobs

the universities play a big part in this I think, there are many academically brilliant graduates coming out to the working society, finding out that the profound technical knowledge, formulas etc. that they learnt in universities are not being applied in the industries around here

Actually how the world will graduate knows what they want ? I bet many do not know how the corporate scene or industry looks like unless they are guided by their parents or older siblings.

Not many will not what they want less limited to faculty options consideration. This people are just kids. We maybe too demanding of them. Sure they will be quite a few has already made up their minds too.

The point is many people do change job after working through the experience. That's the whole idea isn't it ?

^^ that's why I advised young people to work first before they get their masters. If not, will invest too much in things that not interested at all. Eg Adrian Pang and those actress-lawyers.


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(17-10-2014, 11:10 AM)WolfT Wrote: This is just my 2cts.It does not refer to all singaporean.

1)Singaporean are just not hungry enough for the job. Hit a setback and then thinking of changing job.
2) Job hop for a mere few hundred dollars.
3) Title is more impt then the experience.
4) No sense of awareness. Usually the last one to know he/she is going to get axe.
5) We look down on other nationalities. We think we are very smart.
6) Singaporean does not know how to package themselves, not very vocal. We need to be more expressive and network more.

Foreigners don't have a choice, they have burn their bridge. They have nothing to fall back on. Make or break. IF U ARE THEM,WILL YOU STRIVE AND GROW WHENEVER U HAVE A CHANCE?
I know a friend who work as an financial analyst. A few yrs later,after a few round of job hopping, she is still a financial analyst! maybe slightly higher pay.

The weakness you mentioned can be observed from the replies above. The company is doing a business. If you are not better than others. What makes the company pays you more only because you are Singaporean.

The competition in the job market today is not among the foreign passport holder working at Buona Vista, the India shipyard worker at Tuas and the NUS graduated Singaporeans. It is among Singaporeans with the young man at Shanghai, who graduated from MIT, the New Delhi computer engineer graduated from Stanford U, and the young lady at Brazil with MBA from Harvard.

I feel the stress when comparing with them in some of my company's global events. They are very aggressive, knowledgeable, smart and hardworking. i really don't feel a reason to believe that we are in anyway overall better than them. Confidence is good, but blindly confidence is a joke.

(18-12-2014, 04:03 PM)jjlim84 Wrote: the universities play a big part in this I think, there are many academically brilliant graduates coming out to the working society, finding out that the profound technical knowledge, formulas etc. that they learnt in universities are not being applied in the industries around here

I am not sure which course you are referring to. In fact, the local university works very closely with the industrial. University course is not able to cover everything in real industrial but it gives you a basic to go deeper into certain area that you choose. But you need to make the right choice by yourself. The university can't help you.

The problem is how many local graduated is willing to spend their time going deep into certain technical subjects. Looking into the University, how many locals is wiling to go for a PhD degree? It explains the reason that the jobs in Bouna Vista are hold by foreigners. Because many jobs there need PhD degrees.

Today our society is promoting the idea of enjoying life. We want to study the course we like. We want to have a job we like. We work at location we like (No Jurong, no Tuas, no Woodlands, no India for sure), Good work-life balance, good pay, good boss, good colleague, good office, good welfare, no stress, otherwise, tell parents, I am not given the chance to apply my talent. Parents will just ask the very "talented" boy boy or girl girl stay at home to wait for the chance to drop from the sky. If the chance doesn't drop later, it must be PAP's problem.

Majority of people are not going to be Bill Gate or Steven Jobs. Love what you are doing and work on your circle of influence are the more appropriate way. Even you finally spend 10 years to know that you don't like your work, the experience to go deep into a professional still worth a lot for your life. it is better than you spend 10 year to "think" about what you like.