Comments on: Engineering in Singapore? http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/ Witness the World Fri, 02 Jul 2010 07:01:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: Daniel http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1715 Daniel Wed, 21 Apr 2010 05:15:49 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1715 I'm sure they've proven themselves in other fields- and I'm quite sure that Biochemistry at NUS is as close to engineering as you can get. Perhaps they were hired for leadership and management skills, rather than technical skills- to be a CEO rather than a CTO. At that level, MBA-sort skills are perhaps more important than engineering skills. You can read a little about CEO stats here: http://www.taibros.net/archives/2005/11/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-ceo I was talking about this with another friend recently. It all comes down to median/mean/worst-case salaries- engineering/science people have a guaranteed sort of salary (you can always fall back on your technical skill) while the same can't be said of other degrees. Once you view it through that lens, you'll understand why a lot of people would put in the hard work to be engineers. I’m sure they’ve proven themselves in other fields- and I’m quite sure that Biochemistry at NUS is as close to engineering as you can get. Perhaps they were hired for leadership and management skills, rather than technical skills- to be a CEO rather than a CTO. At that level, MBA-sort skills are perhaps more important than engineering skills. You can read a little about CEO stats here: http://www.taibros.net/archives/2005/11/07/so-you-want-to-be-a-ceo

I was talking about this with another friend recently. It all comes down to median/mean/worst-case salaries- engineering/science people have a guaranteed sort of salary (you can always fall back on your technical skill) while the same can’t be said of other degrees. Once you view it through that lens, you’ll understand why a lot of people would put in the hard work to be engineers.

]]> By: Tax Collector http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1714 Tax Collector Wed, 21 Apr 2010 04:58:49 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1714 Engineering in Singapore is dead because we are a nation of managers! Everybody wants to be manager. CEO and COO of SMRT are not engineers. CEO is NUS Biochem grad heading DFS stores, COO is NUS Arts grad(U of phoenix MBA) heading DFS HR dept. They know nothing about trains/operations. Their pay? CEO 1.3Mil COO 875k CFO, CIO and other non-technical staff 400k each. Their subordinates are very senior engineers 20-30 yrs in the industry, earning only 200-300k. Handful of engineering heads. Not forgetting the poor senior engineers, also 20-30 yrs experience, drawing less than 100k. So, non-engineers can take over the helm of hardcore engineering companies and get high pay. Who want to study engineering? Investment bankers, business/finance guys earning more than engineers. Engineering in Singapore is dead because we are a nation of managers! Everybody wants to be manager.

CEO and COO of SMRT are not engineers. CEO is NUS Biochem grad heading DFS stores, COO is NUS Arts grad(U of phoenix MBA) heading DFS HR dept. They know nothing about trains/operations. Their pay? CEO 1.3Mil COO 875k
CFO, CIO and other non-technical staff 400k each.

Their subordinates are very senior engineers 20-30 yrs in the industry, earning only 200-300k. Handful of engineering heads. Not forgetting the poor senior engineers, also 20-30 yrs experience, drawing less than 100k.

So, non-engineers can take over the helm of hardcore engineering companies and get high pay. Who want to study engineering?

Investment bankers, business/finance guys earning more than engineers.

]]> By: Anti-foreignism in Singapore, and the Bukit Batok Water Festival - EIDUS.SG http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1686 Anti-foreignism in Singapore, and the Bukit Batok Water Festival - EIDUS.SG Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:40:43 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1686 [...] Arguably, they will be the key creators on jobs in the future, as Singapore moves toward a start-up/innovation driven economy. Of course, the crucial question is always how much (and what type of) immigration is the right [...] [...] Arguably, they will be the key creators on jobs in the future, as Singapore moves toward a start-up/innovation driven economy. Of course, the crucial question is always how much (and what type of) immigration is the right [...]

]]> By: Tan Wee Kim http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1275 Tan Wee Kim Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:38:44 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1275 Hi Daniel, I happened to chance upon your blog when i was surfing the internet. What you spoke is close to my heart and especially when I am pursuing a Engineering course in NUS. Even some of my peers even see themselves being in the "dumping ground" and some would venture into other fields upon graduation. But reason being that the other occupations are more glamorous and offered a higher pay and being in engineering is a route to a degree to a decent ricebowl. It is a stark difference of the people's attitude towards engineering that you spoke of.Is it the demand that made the difference tor the passion to start up that drives the best to pursue engineering? Wee Kim Hi Daniel,

I happened to chance upon your blog when i was surfing the internet. What you spoke is close to my heart and especially when I am pursuing a Engineering course in NUS. Even some of my peers even see themselves being in the “dumping ground” and some would venture into other fields upon graduation. But reason being that the other occupations are more glamorous and offered a higher pay and being in engineering is a route to a degree to a decent ricebowl.

It is a stark difference of the people’s attitude towards engineering that you spoke of.Is it the demand that made the difference tor the passion to start up that drives the best to pursue engineering?

Wee Kim

]]> By: anony http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1270 anony Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:49:29 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1270 just my own thoughts, for the economic growth models, i would think innovation as a means of pushing out the boundaries within which resource allocation can take place. like pushing out the PPC, increasing PEG. the angle you are arguing from however, for these innovations to be sold commercially like Google etc, you are focusing on the AEG that technological products can contribute to. but, financial products, legal services etc can do the same! thus i believe the real difference engineering can bring, is in the PEG, changing things from 2 units of resource for 5 units of product to 1 unit of resource for the same amount of products. but with the state of globalization today, making acquisition of technology easier, is tech still a limiting reagent to our growth? my humble thoughts. just my own thoughts, for the economic growth models, i would think innovation as a means of pushing out the boundaries within which resource allocation can take place. like pushing out the PPC, increasing PEG. the angle you are arguing from however, for these innovations to be sold commercially like Google etc, you are focusing on the AEG that technological products can contribute to. but, financial products, legal services etc can do the same!

thus i believe the real difference engineering can bring, is in the PEG, changing things from 2 units of resource for 5 units of product to 1 unit of resource for the same amount of products. but with the state of globalization today, making acquisition of technology easier, is tech still a limiting reagent to our growth?

my humble thoughts.

]]> By: anony http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1269 anony Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:35:05 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1269 interesting thoughts. interesting thoughts.

]]> By: Engineering in Singapore? | singapore News http://eidus.sg/2009/12/28/engineering-in-singapore/comment-page-1/#comment-1268 Engineering in Singapore? | singapore News Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:03:43 +0000 http://eidus.sg/?p=732#comment-1268 [...] from: Engineering in Singapore? Share and [...] [...] from: Engineering in Singapore? Share and [...]

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