Poly students have mixed reactions to results of annual polytechnic graduate survey

There has been an article recently in the Straits Times about Polytechnic graduates earning more money than previous years. Over the Coffee Mug hits the streets of Temasek Polytechnic to find out how the current students react to this piece of news.

The annual polytechnic graduate survey last year revealed that polytechnic graduates earn $2007 per month on average. However, about 65.4 per cent of graduates landed full-time jobs, down from 67 per cent in 2011. So how do polytechnic students feel about this?

Au Wei Shan, an 18-year-old second year student studying the Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition at TP, was unaware of the results of the graduate survey, but believed that the increase in salary was a “very good thing” because “it’s difficult for us to cope with expenses”.

When asked what her plans after graduation are, she said: “I will try to work with my SIP company for 3-5 years, and then further my studies outside Singapore.” Despite the fact that there is an expected downturn in the employment market, Wei Shan does not think that this will affect her industry, since it is about food, something that is needed everyday.

Au Wei Shan, an 18-year-old student Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition from TP

Nurul Amalina, 19-year-old junior studying in the Diploma in Financial Business Informatics, feels that the added income is “a great improvement and a source of motivation for us poly grads”.

“Now seeing that the pay for poly grads is approximately $2000, more people may choose to go to work first before continuing their further studies,” she added. Her plans for the future however are dependent on her results, as she has deduced that a diploma is not good enough to sustain a full-time job in the long run.

She believes that her industry, IT and Finance, has great growth potential in Singapore, due to the way the country is progressing. She is concerned that the reduction in percentage of graduates being hired for full-time jobs will affect her, and muses that “you never know what the future holds for you anyway”.

Nurul Amalina, a 19-year-old Diploma in Financial Business Informatics student from TP

Another TP student, Deli Tan, a 21-year-old senior from the Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism, agrees that just having a diploma will be tough to sustain a full-time job because “in Singapore society, there is a lot of looking at paper qualification, so it may be difficult to sustain in the long run”.

When discussing how to deal with the tough job market, he sees the effect on Singapore as inevitable, since “currently in Europe, the market is collapsing”. He deems it sensible to “work smart, rather than just working for the money”.

Deli Tan, 21-year-old Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism student from TP