True Story of a ex SAF regular

[Newdrive]

What make u think that?

Any personal bad experience?

Do u think u are better off now?

 

its reality dude.

 

u go flip newspaper job ads and online job ads, do u still find many positions with O/N level education? dun talk about jobs like insurance agents or property agents etc.

 

for me i am getting a comfortable pay now (> $4k). so i am happy. i can't imagine if i only have N levels, probably my pay now is just below or around 2k at most. I am 33 btw.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Newdrive

[Albeniz]

5 to 8 years back, there are those pei-du mama who worked as massager in those neighbourhood centre back... but following government's crackdown by imposing strict restrictions on such massage parlour , u see none of those now.

 

Talking about per-du mama and masseurs in neighborhood center. That was during Wong Can't Sing's era right? Yes, and the Mas Selamat escape as well as loan shark Ah Long harassment cases.

Really bad during that time.

[Dfx16]

its reality dude.

u go flip newspaper job ads and online job ads, do u still find many positions with O/N level education? dun talk about jobs like insurance agents or property agents etc.

for me i am getting a comfortable pay now (> $4k). so i am happy. i can't imagine if i only have N levels, probably my pay now is just below or around 2k at most. I am 33 btw.

 

 

In retrospective does anyone around u success or make more money then u with only 'N or 'O'? Insurance agents, Property agents, crane / fork lift operators excluded

Edited June 16, 2013 by Dfx16

[Newdrive]

In retrospective does anyone around u success or make more money then u with only 'N or 'O'? Insurance agents, Property agents, crane / fork lift operators excluded

 

None.

[Tigershark1976]

He can apply for Midmanship courses or Marine Engineering in Poly with sponser from the Navy. Like my colleague son who applied for Marine Engineering course whilst doing NS in RSN. He move on to degree at NTU and now a Captain in Navy.

True, many ex-colleague of mine, who signed on after getting o level upgraded themself during the 7 yrs period, from O level, to Dip and then to Deg.... They knew that there is no such thing as iron rice bowl, otherwise, why are they offered contract rather than perm contract? Only those who didnt think far, enjoy what they are having suffer in the end..

 

[Tigershark1976]

Yep, a lot of old Msian's jobs also kena taken by other FTs, don't say Singaporean jobs. As long as the employer can train an FT and pay him lesser (including levies and all) than a Singaporean / Malaysian, they will lor..

 

 

Yup, thats true, many Mal rather go bk to Mal since there isnt much diff from working in SG (after deducting all the expenses).

 

Those blue collar work such as electrician, driver, operator, site supervisor, cleaner, food stall assistant & etc used to be Malaysian, but now, its more or less all taken over by Burmise, Chinese, pinoy or bangla..

[Dfx16]

None.

 

Hmmm.. i had staffs with N level in their mid 30s drawing 4k after cpf managing fmcg key acc retailers

 

Myself coming late 30s sales and marketing manager didnt receive much education also but i work hard in the same industry since i completed national service, drawing 5 digits managing fmcg key acc retailers regional, malaysia indonesia s'pore

 

I can confirm that even with only N or O level local big retailers are willing to pay u up to 5 digits if u had the experience and attitude

 

I can also confirm that some of this big retailers senior managers and even country director had only O or N but they does have many degree or even mba working under them

 

I had no idea what industry u are in, but it does sound very pathetic that it's paper driven

 

Dont have anything more then N or O level doesnt mean cant earn more money, bottomline - after getting a job what employer want is positive attitude, willing to learn and able to handle stress

[Heavenspirit]

its reality dude.

 

u go flip newspaper job ads and online job ads, do u still find many positions with O/N level education? dun talk about jobs like insurance agents or property agents etc.

 

for me i am getting a comfortable pay now (> $4k). so i am happy. i can't imagine if i only have N levels, probably my pay now is just below or around 2k at most. I am 33 btw.

 

I'm N level and earning > $5k at 33 age. It is all about working hard with good attitude. Certificate is just a piece of paper, experience is in the real world.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Heavenspirit

[Newdrive]

Hmmm.. i had staffs with N level in their mid 30s drawing 4k after cpf managing fmcg key acc retailers

 

Myself coming late 30s sales and marketing manager didnt receive much education also but i work hard in the same industry since i completed national service, drawing 5 digits managing fmcg key acc retailers regional, malaysia indonesia s'pore

 

I can confirm that even with only N or O level local big retailers are willing to pay u up to 5 digits if u had the experience and attitude

 

I can also confirm that some of this big retailers senior managers and even country director had only O or N but they does have many degree or even mba working under them

 

I had no idea what industry u are in, but it does sound very pathetic that it's paper driven

 

Dont have anything more then N or O level doesnt mean cant earn more money, bottomline - after getting a job what employer want is positive attitude, willing to learn and able to handle stress

 

 

yes u can earn that kind of money but only after 15-20+ years of experience.

 

but with a paper, u can cut down the number of years of experience to earn that kind of money in a shorter time frame.

 

that's the difference.

 

and moving forth, N/O level will be obsolete, that's the truth, more and more companies are now looking at paper qualification.

 

let's talk about this again in 10 years time on this thread and see if the job market still favors N/O level qualifications.

Edited June 16, 2013 by Newdrive

[Newdrive]

I'm N level and earning > $5k at 33 age. It is all about working hard with good attitude. Certificate is just a piece of paper, experience is in the real world.

 

good for you, i hope u still earned the same when u changed company next time.

 

and i dun know what job u are doing now.

 

if u are in IT like I do, N/O level wun get you far.

[Lala81]

Hmmm.. i had staffs with N level in their mid 30s drawing 4k after cpf managing fmcg key acc retailers

 

Myself coming late 30s sales and marketing manager didnt receive much education also but i work hard in the same industry since i completed national service, drawing 5 digits managing fmcg key acc retailers regional, malaysia indonesia s'pore

 

I can confirm that even with only N or O level local big retailers are willing to pay u up to 5 digits if u had the experience and attitude

 

I can also confirm that some of this big retailers senior managers and even country director had only O or N but they does have many degree or even mba working under them

 

I had no idea what industry u are in, but it does sound very pathetic that it's paper driven

 

Dont have anything more then N or O level doesnt mean cant earn more money, bottomline - after getting a job what employer want is positive attitude, willing to learn and able to handle stress

 

no qualifications, no talk lor. Any developed society is like that one.

 

I mean if u start from a base of 2k vs start from a base of 3k. The percentage increase alone ensures that the one with the lower base loses out... I'm talking about median or slightly above average worker.

 

O levels your resume i think won't even get past the waste paper basket nowadays. Unless Blue collar jobs.

[Dfx16]

True, paper is the passport for starting salary and 2nd half boil down to attitude

My message here is not to debate that without paper can get decent salary rather then sending a message across that if u had a good attitude and always strive for survival u still too can earn good decent salary

 

[Newdrive]

u still too can earn good decent salary

 

u need to add, a matter of time if you do not have the necessary papers.

 

cos dun expect to immediately earn $4-5k within 10 years, probably 15-20+ years and if you are only lucky enough the employer dun focus on paper.

 

 

[Dfx16]

u need to add, a matter of time if you do not have the necessary papers.

cos dun expect to immediately earn $4-5k within 10 years, probably 15-20+ years and if you are only lucky enough the employer dun focus on paper.

 

 

Dont see there's a need to add, it all subjected to the industry u are working in

U are in Information Technology that's why u need paper to substain and constant self upgrade to be on track with modern technology changes

Experience maybe only secondary because your experience maybe for the past but not the future due the fast technology changes environment

Whereas my industry or some others, our experience gained are not replaceable and it stay with us for life which is why it command as a bottomline for salary

Your industry require hands on troubleshooting skill whereas my industry require negotiation and forecast skill

 

Sad but true, i think IT is always a supporting role in a business where it dont help to in revenue and employer feel that they are a burden to P & L

That's why when it's time for retrenchment they are always the 1st to go

It may explain why u think u need good paper to keep competitive

Edited June 17, 2013 by Dfx16

[Maseratigood]

I'm N level and earning > $5k at 33 age. It is all about working hard with good attitude. Certificate is just a piece of paper, experience is in the real world.

It depends on which industry the person is working in:- there are industries or businesses that pay well as long as you can deliver results regardless of paper qualifications but have the business network and acument etc plus people skills and leaderships which one cannot really learn in schools which dish out paper qualifications.

[Maseratigood]

MOM is trying to reduce heavy reliant on foreign workers in the construction industry as some of the countries they are trying to model after Australia and Japan where the workers from bricklayers to electricians are all locals. And even with fewer workers, they could construct buildings as fast as us.

Someone in the industry once told me that despite not relying on cheap imported workers, the construction cost in AUS is not much higher than that in Spore, and the workmanship is good!! BCA and MOM really have to find out why?

[BennyEd]

Someone in the industry once told me that despite not relying on cheap imported workers, the construction cost in AUS is not much higher than that in Spore, and the workmanship is good!! BCA and MOM really have to find out why?

 

I'm an architect and I practised for 5 years in australia b4 coming back here. Over there, the construction workers are all well trained and got 'tak cheh' one. They work fast and very efficiently, and waste very little materials. So your material cost (which is always higher than your labour cost will ever be) already save liao. Here leh, the banglas and ah tiongs dun even know which end of the fking hammer to hold. So they fk up a lot, waste a lot of materials, and always tio delay bcos of some c0ckup. End up you spend more bcos of all the delays and material waste. I find sg construction firms are damn bloody shortsighted and tan lui, but they dun even realise that they are spending more money with cheap labour than they would with well trained labour.

[Camrysfa]

I'm an architect and I practised for 5 years in australia b4 coming back here. Over there, the construction workers are all well trained and got 'tak cheh' one. They work fast and very efficiently, and waste very little materials. So your material cost (which is always higher than your labour cost will ever be) already save liao. Here leh, the banglas and ah tiongs dun even know which end of the fking hammer to hold. So they fk up a lot, waste a lot of materials, and always tio delay bcos of some c0ckup. End up you spend more bcos of all the delays and material waste. I find sg construction firms are damn bloody shortsighted and tan lui, but they dun even realise that they are spending more money with cheap labour than they would with well trained labour.

 

I think u speaka fact.

While I was there for a short vacation, even the road-side jobs and rubbish collectors are all white ... most probably 'tak cheh' type.

SG still believing we are world no1.....