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
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
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