hi, everybody. need some advice here, feeling quite lost.
i finished my NS and have been working as a technician for about 9 months now. (dip in electronics)
Im thinking of taking up a part-time IT degree course in SIM to upgrade myself, either through University of London or University of Wollongong.
i have spoken with some of my frens. most of them seem to advice me against taking up IT, saying there's no prospect in IT, job markets are being conquered by foreigners. or operations moving out of singapore to china and india. its the situation so bad now? issit really so hard to get a job with an IT degree? the pay will be very low?
im thinking of IT becos i have some interest in IT (im a very technical person), hence it wouldn't be as tough as studying something i dun have interest in. i have absolutely no idea about business, management, finance etc.. so currently, im not planning to take those.
the dateline for SIM application is 15 nov, would appreciate if i can get some advice. feel so lost:sweat: thanks!
Dear Zak,
I can understand how you feel right now because 2 years ago, I was in the same position as you. Just graduated from poly, had around 6 months of working experience and was offered a perm job from a contract job. I didn't know whether I should accept the offer then study PT, or just go study FT instead.
Btw, I am currently in my final year in SIM. I am studying with the University of Buffalo State University of New York.
To cut the long story short - my diploma was Film Sound and Video with NP. My current degree is Business Administration with Marketing and International Business. Yes, they are two very different courses and I have countless of people asking why did I change my major. Friends in the media industry said I am just stressing myself out since most of them know I suck and hate mathematics, and almost any other subject that requires complex numbers. But hahaha... I survived! If all goes well, I will be graduating next June.
I am sure you will encounter people who will tell you to study that you love since you are young. IMHO, that is half correct. Reason being at the end of the day, you still need to eat, drink, survive, pay your bills etc etc. You still need money. That is the brutal truth. And the truth is some industries are making tons of money, and for some unless you are the top best few within the industry (e.g., photography and filmmaking), there's a possibility that these people might be living from paycheck to paycheck.
It took me a year to shift my major because after 3 years in NP, I realized I am not good in directing or cinematography for that matter. I have also come to realize my stamina may not be that good compared to my peers, whom can forgo sleeping up to a week if they are involved in a project. During those 3 yrs in NP, the one major thing I learned was local filmmakers are seriously lacking marketing and promotion for their films. In short, Singapore is seriously lacking film producers who focuses more on the business side of films. Sadly, NP does not offer that during my stay with them. I think if I went on to get a degree in filmmaking, I will probably still be nowhere.
And that's how I went on to study Business Admin - in the hope of one day I can mix what I learned from both my diploma and degree.
I don't pay detail attention to the current IT industry so I really can't give comments about the job prospects for IT. But since you are so young, now is the time to try new things and learn new things. Reason being when we are young, we have less committments - that's my 2¢ worth. If you want to take the plunge, now is the time. Who knows 10 years down the road you can mixed what you learned in IT with your degree program. I hate numbers but I have managed to overcome my fear for them.
But just my personal opinion - don't follow fads. Like the current craze about the banking and finance industry. So many graduates are just wanting a share of the pie, it's bound to become saturated and explode.
Don't go into a industry just for the sake of money. But don't find a course that's too niche that its difficult to find jobs.
Good luck!