Teenage Son Considering PR

[skipper]

...in a "top" local secondary school under the Integrated Program -- means they skip the O levels and automatically get a place in a junior college where they will take A levels for university placement. This is where the uncertainty lies as university places in Singapore are limited, especially for foreigners. Even if he gets accepted in a university here, he thinks his job prospects will be limited even for entry level jobs. Will this be an accurate assessment of the job market for him?

My eldest son wants to study, work and live in Singapore and is thinking of becoming a PR. He doesn't mind doing NS...

what area do you think your son will be interested in at university?

For now, Medicine, which we know is highly competitive. Business maybe as a second option, as it is currently my line of work. Unfortunately, he doesn't like engineering even though I tell him that for practicality's sake, the job prospects will be better..

[skipper]

By the way, we are submitting his PR application tomorrow. Fingers crossed..

[PNGMK]

Medicine will die with telematics and remote controlled robotics and diagnostics.... Business will survive because of face to face values. Engineering will be come a black box automation exercise at the end.

[taxico]

...in a "top" local secondary school under the Integrated Program -- means they skip the O levels and automatically get a place in a junior college where they will take A levels for university placement. This is where the uncertainty lies as university places in Singapore are limited, especially for foreigners. Even if he gets accepted in a university here, he thinks his job prospects will be limited even for entry level jobs. Will this be an accurate assessment of the job market for him?

My eldest son wants to study, work and live in Singapore and is thinking of becoming a PR. He doesn't mind doing NS...

what area do you think your son will be interested in at university?

For now, Medicine, which we know is highly competitive. Business maybe as a second option, as it is currently my line of work. Unfortunately, he doesn't like engineering even though I tell him that for practicality's sake, the job prospects will be better..

i know little about engineering. but business... isn't that for grad school? (my opinion!) i'm unsure what a business graduate possesses that is in demand.

now... "medicine" - not necessarily a job that heals the sick, but it's a job that will make very good money in singapore... however before that stage, you might want to explore the % of students, admitted to local med schools, that are SPRs.

it is likely, and very much likely, that he will be competing with the cream of the crop here. and as far as "cream" goes, that lot is pretty light. i think academically, singaporeans rank pretty much at/near the top globally.

if you do not start strategizing how to make his application look at attractive as possible, he needs to be prepared to not be accepted. the med schools here exist purely (imo) to churn out singaporean doctors to serve the needs of singaporeans.

good luck! i hope he gets to study what he wants.

p/s: he can always study overseas at an approved school (usually a good one), take a government $150k grant (in return for a 4-year bond) to go back to practice in singapore.

but he needs to be mentally prepared to be treated as an imbecile by his colleagues/employers. i suspect both the grant and working conditions will not appeal to him...

[PNGMK]

The PI has some pretty cheap medicine programs but then you need to find a hospital to intern in...

[earthfriendly]

Do not take out a grant with the SG govt. You can read about Allan Ooi. Perhaps SAF is more extreme than the other governmental arm. The fact that the employer needs to leash onto their employees speaks volume on the nature of the relationship. The kowtow culture. He refused to sell his soul to the devil and to cheapen himself. Perhaps I should stop here before I get onto an emotional rant .

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive ... 00583.html

[PNGMK]

No no rant on please....

[Mad Scientist]

Do not take out a grant with the SG govt. You can read about Allan Ooi. Perhaps SAF is more extreme than the other governmental arm. The fact that the employer needs to leash onto their employees speaks volume on the nature of the relationship. The kowtow culture. He refused to sell his soul to the devil and to cheapen himself. Perhaps I should stop here before I get onto an emotional rant .

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive ... 00583.html

Hear , hear welcome to the club . I am one that survived and managed to tell the tales. This issue not only curtail to SAF docs, it is widespread across the board. Maybe I have a chip on my shoulder but at least I am alive and kicking. At least...................................... never mind

[earthfriendly]

This governmental process of grant giving. Brings to mind a quote.

"It is the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give....."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02MZU9WL80Y

[x9200]

i think academically, singaporeans rank pretty much at/near the top globally.

Are they really good as future workforce or just good in ranking high?

[x9200]

Do not take out a grant with the SG govt. You can read about Allan Ooi. Perhaps SAF is more extreme than the other governmental arm. The fact that the employer needs to leash onto their employees speaks volume on the nature of the relationship. The kowtow culture. He refused to sell his soul to the devil and to cheapen himself. Perhaps I should stop here before I get onto an emotional rant .

http://newsgroups.derkeiler.com/Archive ... 00583.html

So why he was so unhappy? Any concrete information?

[earthfriendly]

This is his farewell letter. He comes from a loving and supportive family. Seems like he had led a full life and ready to go. He came, he saw and he decided to move on. Now that he knows what it is all about. He was ready for the next phase. Brings to mine a quote from Frida Kahlo.

"“I hope the exit is joyful and i hope never to return.”

The bond happens to be one more (major) trigger that aids in his decision.

http://mrlim.com/2009/03/dr-allan-oois-farewell-letter/

[PNGMK]

Jesus wept. Time for the SAF to keep up with the times.

[x9200]

This is his farewell letter. He comes from a loving and supportive family. Seems like he had led a full life and ready to go. He came, he saw and he decided to move on. Now that he knows what it is all about. He was ready for the next phase. Brings to mine a quote from Frida Kahlo.

"“I hope the exit is joyful and i hope never to return.”

The bond happens to be one more (major) trigger that aids in his decision.

http://mrlim.com/2009/03/dr-allan-oois-farewell-letter/

Yes I read this and the letters under the link you posted earlier, and the response of his family to the mindef official letter, yet none of this document specify what was really the problem with his work making him so unhappy. If he was happy with the work, and the work was satisfying and fulfilling (all to him of course) he would be still alive and surely didn't mind serving the bond. All these people close to him only use very general, rather meaningless terms instead of pointing to any actual problems. You don't see it strange?

[earthfriendly]

I am not sure how specific he needs to be e.g. I have to walk up to the photocopy machine and make a thousand copies of the SAF propagandistic marketing material on Monday. On Tuesday, I have to sit thru 3 hours of meeting on how SAF can attract new recruits by luring them with grants etc. ???

For me, it is quite clear. It is a mismatch. Doing work that feels meaningless to you. Numbing your mind and spirit. Some people have a strong and clear purpose of their existence in this life. I mean one can probably suck it up for a few years but we are talking about over 16 years. That is about 30% of a person's adult working life. The injustice is grave. Somemore, govt. can extend at will. It is cruel and unusual punishment.

Unless there is more to the story. Sinister stuff? Conspiracy?