KNN with this type of graduate our country's future is doomed.
Please quickly import 1.5 million PRCs to save us, NOW!
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC090707-0000099/Amid-the-job-search-,,,
Amid the job search ... by Esther Ng
05:55 AM Jul 07, 2009
SHE IS unsure if she will make it to the fifth round of NTUC Income's graduate trainee programme, but Ms Hong Enlin is not waiting to find out.
The National University of Singapore graduate with a second lower honours in political science flies off to New Zealand next week on an open ticket.
The 23-year-old, who designs jewellery and recently expanded her online business to a shop at Robertson Quay, said: "I hope to be inspired while I'm in New Zealand because I plan to launch 50 new jewellery designs when I come back."
As the local universities begin their Commencement ceremonies this month, starting yesterday with NUS, some fresh graduates are not quite feverishly trying to pin down full-time jobs like the rest of their cohort.
While few may have a business to fall back on like Ms Hong, the tough competition in finding a job in a recession has led some to decide they might as well take a break.
"A few of my friends aren't bothered about finding a job. They have decided to spend this year backpacking around the world," said Nanyang Technological University graduate Noelle Tan.
According to Ms Hong, who has friends going on shorter three-week holidays, only one quarter of her classmates have secured jobs. "Previously, honours graduates usually found jobs before they graduated," she said. "Some jobs have four to five rounds of interviews, so the competition is gruelling."
Meanwhile, some graduates are taking on part-time jobs while waiting for that plum entry-level position in their field of choice.
"Jobs in the media are hard to come by, and when they do, they demand a few years' experience," said Ms Tan, a communications graduate.
The 23-year-old plans to freelance as a writer until she lands a full-time job as an assistant producer.
Then there are others like Mr Eugene Chew, a political science graduate with a second upper from NUS, who is choosing to volunteer for non-profit organisation Care Channels International, for a six-month stint in villages in Timor Leste, Indonesia and the Philippines.
He will be documenting what he sees around him, including Care Channels' aid programmes.
"I don't see this as putting my job search on hold, I see it as a completion of what I studied," said the 25-year-old who majored in South-east Asian politics. He added that his stint would acquaint him with "what's happening on the ground and local politics".
But not all graduates are finding it tough to get a job, especially those in more niche fields, as Today found out from dentistry and applied science graduates at NUS' commencement ceremony yesterday.
"Most of us from dentistry have a bond to serve with the Government, so we'll be employed at polyclinics and hospitals," said dentistry graduate Dr Tan Jun Da, 25, who is also an author and entrepreneur.
Dr Tan co-authored "From Boys to Men", a book on how to survive Basic Military Training, and co-founded the card game company Game Theory in 2007 with three other student entrepreneurs.
With a number of graduates displaying an entrepreneurial streak these days, NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan remains upbeat about their prospects.
"They're a lot more sophisticated than I was when I was an undergraduate. They have exposure not just in Singapore but overseas," he said.
However, with the economy in the doldrums, he reminded graduands not to be too choosy in their job hunt.
Said Prof Tan: "There might be some short-term issues because of the economic downturn, but in the long term, what matters is your personal character and attributes that will see you through."
Please quickly import 1.5 million PRCs to save us, NOW!
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC090707-0000099/Amid-the-job-search-,,,
Amid the job search ... by Esther Ng
05:55 AM Jul 07, 2009
SHE IS unsure if she will make it to the fifth round of NTUC Income's graduate trainee programme, but Ms Hong Enlin is not waiting to find out.
The National University of Singapore graduate with a second lower honours in political science flies off to New Zealand next week on an open ticket.
The 23-year-old, who designs jewellery and recently expanded her online business to a shop at Robertson Quay, said: "I hope to be inspired while I'm in New Zealand because I plan to launch 50 new jewellery designs when I come back."
As the local universities begin their Commencement ceremonies this month, starting yesterday with NUS, some fresh graduates are not quite feverishly trying to pin down full-time jobs like the rest of their cohort.
While few may have a business to fall back on like Ms Hong, the tough competition in finding a job in a recession has led some to decide they might as well take a break.
"A few of my friends aren't bothered about finding a job. They have decided to spend this year backpacking around the world," said Nanyang Technological University graduate Noelle Tan.
According to Ms Hong, who has friends going on shorter three-week holidays, only one quarter of her classmates have secured jobs. "Previously, honours graduates usually found jobs before they graduated," she said. "Some jobs have four to five rounds of interviews, so the competition is gruelling."
Meanwhile, some graduates are taking on part-time jobs while waiting for that plum entry-level position in their field of choice.
"Jobs in the media are hard to come by, and when they do, they demand a few years' experience," said Ms Tan, a communications graduate.
The 23-year-old plans to freelance as a writer until she lands a full-time job as an assistant producer.
Then there are others like Mr Eugene Chew, a political science graduate with a second upper from NUS, who is choosing to volunteer for non-profit organisation Care Channels International, for a six-month stint in villages in Timor Leste, Indonesia and the Philippines.
He will be documenting what he sees around him, including Care Channels' aid programmes.
"I don't see this as putting my job search on hold, I see it as a completion of what I studied," said the 25-year-old who majored in South-east Asian politics. He added that his stint would acquaint him with "what's happening on the ground and local politics".
But not all graduates are finding it tough to get a job, especially those in more niche fields, as Today found out from dentistry and applied science graduates at NUS' commencement ceremony yesterday.
"Most of us from dentistry have a bond to serve with the Government, so we'll be employed at polyclinics and hospitals," said dentistry graduate Dr Tan Jun Da, 25, who is also an author and entrepreneur.
Dr Tan co-authored "From Boys to Men", a book on how to survive Basic Military Training, and co-founded the card game company Game Theory in 2007 with three other student entrepreneurs.
With a number of graduates displaying an entrepreneurial streak these days, NUS president Tan Chorh Chuan remains upbeat about their prospects.
"They're a lot more sophisticated than I was when I was an undergraduate. They have exposure not just in Singapore but overseas," he said.
However, with the economy in the doldrums, he reminded graduands not to be too choosy in their job hunt.
Said Prof Tan: "There might be some short-term issues because of the economic downturn, but in the long term, what matters is your personal character and attributes that will see you through."
