unscrupulous bosses

• CX

  5 Feb 03, 04:46

  Originally posted by Atobe:

  My apologies, CX, if I showed myself to be "nit picking" in my comments; as I wanted to be quite specific in understanding the problem and respond to the few issues that seemed to be mixed and cross-related; and at the same time to clear up some misconcieved notions about the employment "expectations".
  
  You are certainly correct in that there are employers who take advantage of the present economic situation to "under-employ" a person of "certified ability" - as in the case of a Graduate who was employed to BBQ "Ba Kua".
  
  Can you blame this "Ba Kua" Employer for employing that Graduate to perform a job such as this?
  
  As mentioned, the job market is a Supply and Demand situation, not quite perfect.
  
  If one is not limited to the "Singapore box", and if we have the opportunity of "Thinking Out of this Box", we could venture further a field, and break this unfavorable "Supply and Demand" situation that is weighing in favor of Employers.
  

  nay... no apologies needed... i merely wanted to know what exactly your position is on this issue...
  
  to me, its a question of what ad the individual was replying to i guess... if the ad says "general worker needed, no min. qualifications", then u'll be prepared for whatever terms they offered u no matter how mediocre (as your bak kua analogy points out). i know grads selling satay and making a good living... no problem with that...
  
  but if they said "project engineer needed, min. grad with relevant exerience", then of course u apply with some expectations... esp if they shortlist u for interview...
  
  its not pleasant to be offered a job to pull cable if thats not the job u applied for lor... quite insulting too... some people would rather be rejected not because they find the job demeaning, but because they feel cheated!
  
  its like job ads who're seeking "sales executives with attractive renumeration" and u find that they're basically seeking salesmen with no basic pay but "attractive commissions" ... thats humbug.
  
  the only way i see to break out of this "unfavourable demand-supply" paradigm, is to go into business for yourself and thats not an option for many people cos they lack the capital, the network, or the will to carry it through.
  
  its not cos they don't want to or don't have the idea to, but the costs are too high... many grads have loans to pay off, parents to support and expectations to live up to... its not easy for them to defy the norms and walk off the beaten path...
  
  thats probably why entrepreneurs are "oddballs" and non-grads, cos they have nothing to lose by trying new things. its sad that our society, despite all its rhetorics, is not yet mature enough to accept different models of success.
  
• BillyBong

  5 Feb 03, 12:27

  Originally posted by Atobe:

  Thanks for your clearing up the situation, but just to confirm my understanding is correctly placed.
  
  You indicated that "entry into the medical faculty IS by itself a BOND"; and this is quite similar to the previous post by CX too, which I had also queried.
  
  By this statement, do you mean that entering the medical profession, and being admitted into the Medical Faculty, one is automatically "BONDED" to the profession and its ethics..?
  
  Or do you mean that there is a "WRITTEN CONTRACTURAL BOND", as one would expect from a scholarship, to serve a period of time, to repay society for the cost of funds used under the scholarship...?
  
  

  U'll have to clarify with CX...that was his statement not mine
  
  I'm unclear as to the details but i think medicine entails a civil bond to serve govt hospitals and medical institutions for 8 yrs (CX feel free to step in here anytime). I'm also sure there has to be some signed "contract" somewhere to safeguard this fact for medical students.
• CX

  5 Feb 03, 13:04

  do i sound like a medicine student to you?
  
  there's nothing u can't find on the nus faculty of medicine website if u must satisfy your morbid curiousity...
  
  one thing's for sure though... u get to disrupt from NS very early so that u have to come back after u get your m.d and become underpaid m.o
  
  
• BillyBong

  5 Feb 03, 13:44

  Originally posted by CX:

  do i sound like a medicine student to you?
  

  Nah just a Mr Green to me...
  
  btw, it ain't my morbid curiousity that was aroused
• rudyiskandar

  5 Feb 03, 18:51

  Originally posted by Atobe:

  Certainly if one think that pulling wire or cable is beyond the dignity of a halo-ed certificate, then one need not even consider to be employed for even a single day.
  

  Of course, even a garbage collector has dignity and pride in his job. But what I meant was that I believe the manager employed the $900 engineer with the intent to exploit the weak economy as well as the desperation of the poor chap. Had he done such a thing in the past when the economy is good, then that would be a different story. If you want to bring up the supply and demand stuff again, I will rest my case.