I always felt that pursuing a degree is very important especially if you want to kick off your career on a good note be it in the private or service sector but are we choosing the right university to attend? Most employers nowadays are looking for degree holders. So with so many degree holders out there in the market now what makes an individual so special to clinch that job? Well one difference is the level of merit (Honours) you get on that 1st degree the other IÂ’ll say is skills. Then you ask me how for a fresh grad just out from university gets skills? YouÂ’ll need on the job trainings to obtain the necessary skills. In my opinion your education provider, these boil down to one thing - the university you had attended.
Case study 1
Assuming you were an employer in the business world and are interviewing two degree holders who applied for a job opening in your company. Candidate A is from a reputable university that is strong both research and academic wise. On the other hand, Candidate B is from a not so reputable university that provides its students with hands-on, proactive learning that prepares them for the job market.
Now any decent employer would have a grasp of basic economics. So you would understand the concept of opportunity costs. If you picked candidate A, youÂ’d need to train him or her for approximately 2 months because he or she would only know the theories but lack the necessary application skills, whilst if you picked candidate B who already knows what to do on job youÂ’ll just need to train him or her for 2 weeks (orientation) and after the 2 weeks candidate B can start making money for me!
Who would you pick?
Case study 2
Now, you are an employer from a research company in medical research? As in the first case study, 2 candidates from different university backgrounds applied for a job opening.
Now whom will I pick? The one who has a good grasp of the theories in his field, who has been exposed to numerous research methodologies from their professors, who has access to funding from the government and world-class research labs to test their theories and perform research? Or the one who knows just enough to graduate? I would pick candidate A, of course!
Who would you pick?
International or Local??
We all want to study overseas but cash is always going to be a huge obstacle for many of us. Now that all 3 local universities are opening up and long distance learning is easily accessible, many donÂ’t see the need to go overseas.
There are 2 ways to view the matter. Going overseas does not mean you were not able to gain entrance to local universities. Having an international degree means you get international experience.
Singapore is a globalized city-state and being an international student means that you not only meet the locals; you also meet other international student from various parts of the world.
Let us look at some of the more prestigious courses that are a little more difficult to gain entry into. These courses include Medicine, Dentistry and Law. For many of these courses, most students fail to enter even with outstanding results. But if you had always wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, then go overseas - you might stand a higher chance of entering.
Some courses are just not available here. Ever heard of Podiatry? Or Equine Studies? The first is the study of feet. Apparently there is a demand of such professionals in Singapore. There are probably approximately 10 practitioners here in Singapore. Why the study of feet you ask? Well, Singaporeans have a very high percentage of diabetics, which leads to the rotting of the feet. And apparently the pay for is great. (substantiate with figures)
Now, I really do have to agree with our MM - do your degree here but MasterÂ’s aboard. Because in this way, you get the best of both worlds
How and what to choose??
Now if we look at the statistics, a Straits Times article a few months ago stated that NTU graduates get a better pay and are more employable compared to grads from NUS. However, if we look at at the reverse side of the coin, NUS produces doctors and lawyers, the 2 professions that make the most money. NTU loses out in this sense because they do not have such courses.
Lets bring our focus to Australia. There, Southern Cross University produces most of the journalists you see on Australian TV but who has really ever heard for that school? Or University of Tasmania for its environmental research programs which are quite well known and unique because of its location. (As we all know, Tasmania is like a huge nature reserve and it is even able to have the luxury of having a Bachelor of Antarctic Studies just because of its location!)
You cannot do courses like that locally!
The key thing here is to think of what you really want to do in the future (as in your career or childhood inspiration) then select the university to attend based on your wants.
An education is a long-term investment. I have only recently realized all these when I met this guy who was in the education industry.
His words really hit me hard and made me think of what I really wanted for myself rather what the world wanted from me. If any of you have queries on anything, you could try dropping him an email at
[email protected]