Middle class blues

[Solar]

If you have worked in global MNCs before, you will understand that paper qualifications are just a formality. What matters most is the competency and quality of the employee himself, and this can be somewhat gauged through interviews.

 

Just because some four-eyed local nerd ace'd his local uni exam papers doesn't mean squat if he is not the right fit for the company and culture.

 

true..paper is formality in many cases... especially if you know someone

[VolksBarSG]

true..paper is formality in many cases... especially if you know someone

 

Like how higher office in SG is a MARRY-tocracy right?

[Solar]

Like how higher office in SG is a MARRY-tocracy right?

 

this thingy happens everywhere lah.. local or not..

sometimes people call it 'networking'..

 

those already born and bred here.. no choice (can't revoke their citizenship for being cmi right?)

but we can limit the cmi ones from coming into sg...

[VolksBarSG]

this thingy happens everywhere lah.. local or not..

sometimes people call it 'networking'..

 

those already born and bred here.. no choice (can't revoke their citizenship for being cmi right?)

but we can limit the cmi ones from coming into sg...

 

True lah, everywhere oso same. We CAN ban the CMI fuggers from coming into SG...but DID we?

[Tonyhawk]

my humble opinion.

 

We got here too easy and too fast.

 

Our initial years of growth (first 20 years or so) was a result of rapid industrialisation. the manufacturing boom from a cheap hardworking labour force is not rocket science. Political stability and well planned infrastructure development, coupled with our strategic location along shipping lines, propelled us from third world to second.

 

But anybody can do low cost and hard work. its always been there. And as our low cost, hard work, competitive edge eroded with the emergence of IN, CN, etc., we tried, in the more recent past 20 years, to keep up with the growth, to attain first world, by switching into higher "value-added" sectors : banking, finance, law, medical-tourism, service-tourism (CASINO), R&D. GDP per capita went through the roof, but we paid a price. the price is that some sectors paid off, while others were punished, somewhat unjustly.

 

Every tom dick and harry today, knows which industries pay well. Ask any 18 year old today which career he'd like to have, and the answer is obvious. the one that pays. But for the 45-50 year old, PMET in manufacturing, or even the 35 year old who did his PHD in bio-engineering or the like, its too late to switch. screwed by policies. Even today, im sure we're desperately trying to lure/con the uniniated into the less popular, engineering/science disciplines. These folks would have been fine, but have had their cost of living driven up by their better paid counterparts.

 

These folks could have grown and evolved slowly up the food chain. But we took the easy way out, succumbed to the lure of easy money of the other lucrative fields. Now its irrecoverable, imo. We didnt give our manufacturing sector a chance to move up the chain, to evolve beyond hard work and low cost. and so today, we only compete on those terms. cost and "hard work". Our best and brightest have long fled those industries.

 

The next 20 years will be very interesting. the demise of manufacturing and the rise of our service industry has played out. whats next? whatever it is, i pray for our children that our leaders get it right.

[Ingenius]

Well written! Concur.

[Mustank]

my humble opinion.

 

We got here too easy and too fast.

 

Our initial years of growth (first 20 years or so) was a result of rapid industrialisation. the manufacturing boom from a cheap hardworking labour force is not rocket science. Political stability and well planned infrastructure development, coupled with our strategic location along shipping lines, propelled us from third world to second.

 

But anybody can do low cost and hard work. its always been there. And as our low cost, hard work, competitive edge eroded with the emergence of IN, CN, etc., we tried, in the more recent past 20 years, to keep up with the growth, to attain first world, by switching into higher "value-added" sectors : banking, finance, law, medical-tourism, service-tourism (CASINO), R&D. GDP per capita went through the roof, but we paid a price. the price is that some sectors paid off, while others were punished, somewhat unjustly.

 

Every tom dick and harry today, knows which industries pay well. Ask any 18 year old today which career he'd like to have, and the answer is obvious. the one that pays. But for the 45-50 year old, PMET in manufacturing, or even the 35 year old who did his PHD in bio-engineering or the like, its too late to switch. screwed by policies. Even today, im sure we're desperately trying to lure/con the uniniated into the less popular, engineering/science disciplines. These folks would have been fine, but have had their cost of living driven up by their better paid counterparts.

 

These folks could have grown and evolved slowly up the food chain. But we took the easy way out, succumbed to the lure of easy money of the other lucrative fields. Now its irrecoverable, imo. We didnt give our manufacturing sector a chance to move up the chain, to evolve beyond hard work and low cost. and so today, we only compete on those terms. cost and "hard work". Our best and brightest have long fled those industries.

 

The next 20 years will be very interesting. the demise of manufacturing and the rise of our service industry has played out. whats next? whatever it is, i pray for our children that our leaders get it right.

 

damm well said!!!

 

[RadX]

damm well said!!!

 

 

agree....a good analysis. Yes, the next 20 yrs would be interesting....

 

Well one thing, healthcare and education are our pillars still, and it still puts food on the table

[Jerms]

I think sometimes it

[Jamesc]

agree....a good analysis. Yes, the next 20 yrs would be interesting....

 

Well one thing, healthcare and education are our pillars still, and it still puts food on the table

You are absolutely right.

 

Health care is a wonderful industry.

 

People will spend a lot of money to live longer

 

and the longer they live, the more money they will

 

need to spend on health care.

 

Edited July 3, 2013 by Jamesc

[Lala81]

my humble opinion.

 

We got here too easy and too fast.

 

Our initial years of growth (first 20 years or so) was a result of rapid industrialisation. the manufacturing boom from a cheap hardworking labour force is not rocket science. Political stability and well planned infrastructure development, coupled with our strategic location along shipping lines, propelled us from third world to second.

 

But anybody can do low cost and hard work. its always been there. And as our low cost, hard work, competitive edge eroded with the emergence of IN, CN, etc., we tried, in the more recent past 20 years, to keep up with the growth, to attain first world, by switching into higher "value-added" sectors : banking, finance, law, medical-tourism, service-tourism (CASINO), R&D. GDP per capita went through the roof, but we paid a price. the price is that some sectors paid off, while others were punished, somewhat unjustly.

 

Every tom dick and harry today, knows which industries pay well. Ask any 18 year old today which career he'd like to have, and the answer is obvious. the one that pays. But for the 45-50 year old, PMET in manufacturing, or even the 35 year old who did his PHD in bio-engineering or the like, its too late to switch. screwed by policies. Even today, im sure we're desperately trying to lure/con the uniniated into the less popular, engineering/science disciplines. These folks would have been fine, but have had their cost of living driven up by their better paid counterparts.

 

These folks could have grown and evolved slowly up the food chain. But we took the easy way out, succumbed to the lure of easy money of the other lucrative fields. Now its irrecoverable, imo. We didnt give our manufacturing sector a chance to move up the chain, to evolve beyond hard work and low cost. and so today, we only compete on those terms. cost and "hard work". Our best and brightest have long fled those industries.

 

The next 20 years will be very interesting. the demise of manufacturing and the rise of our service industry has played out. whats next? whatever it is, i pray for our children that our leaders get it right.

 

Good points.

The only worry is that we've placed all our eggs in one basket

But the hard truth is that as a small nation, we can only pool our bets in one direction.

[BennyEd]

my humble opinion.

 

We got here too easy and too fast.

 

Our initial years of growth (first 20 years or so) was a result of rapid industrialisation. the manufacturing boom from a cheap hardworking labour force is not rocket science. Political stability and well planned infrastructure development, coupled with our strategic location along shipping lines, propelled us from third world to second.

 

But anybody can do low cost and hard work. its always been there. And as our low cost, hard work, competitive edge eroded with the emergence of IN, CN, etc., we tried, in the more recent past 20 years, to keep up with the growth, to attain first world, by switching into higher "value-added" sectors : banking, finance, law, medical-tourism, service-tourism (CASINO), R&D. GDP per capita went through the roof, but we paid a price. the price is that some sectors paid off, while others were punished, somewhat unjustly.

 

Every tom dick and harry today, knows which industries pay well. Ask any 18 year old today which career he'd like to have, and the answer is obvious. the one that pays. But for the 45-50 year old, PMET in manufacturing, or even the 35 year old who did his PHD in bio-engineering or the like, its too late to switch. screwed by policies. Even today, im sure we're desperately trying to lure/con the uniniated into the less popular, engineering/science disciplines. These folks would have been fine, but have had their cost of living driven up by their better paid counterparts.

 

These folks could have grown and evolved slowly up the food chain. But we took the easy way out, succumbed to the lure of easy money of the other lucrative fields. Now its irrecoverable, imo. We didnt give our manufacturing sector a chance to move up the chain, to evolve beyond hard work and low cost. and so today, we only compete on those terms. cost and "hard work". Our best and brightest have long fled those industries.

 

The next 20 years will be very interesting. the demise of manufacturing and the rise of our service industry has played out. whats next? whatever it is, i pray for our children that our leaders get it right.

 

Excellent opinion. This is thanks to PAP's 'economic growth at any cost' policies that were excellent for us in the short run, but end up pwning ourselves later on.

[Tonyhawk]

Well one thing, healthcare and education are our pillars still, and it still puts food on the table

 

i think you will recognise that those are still services. Professional services.

 

i think we might have missed a boat in the education business. the success story of the Aussie education industry is quite interesting. We have a very strategic position as a gateway between the east and the west. Particularly, China and the rest of the world. The very reason why Jim Rogers is here.

 

We could have aggressively sold our post/under grad programs to the west. But alas, we have so far only managed to attract, in droves, the easterners trying to head west, and hardly the other way round. As of now, i believe we are too late to reverse this, where the Chinese universities have already upped their stakes, and a westerner would prefer to head there directly.

 

Our local market is riddled with scam-like institutions selling their diplomas/degrees to the Chinese. As far as Im concerned, they might as well just issue student visas to KTV girls directly. a number of them are here for that reason anyway. The value that this particular market brings is limited.

 

as for healthcare services, i find increasingly, my doctor friends moving into aesthetics, for the $$. Im sure you know this better than me, with your alleged background. I fear that our competence as a hub for holistic medical care will slowly be eroded. As of now, the hospitals are slowly being populated with FT doctors. I would not be surprised in 20 years time to find a dramatic shortage of local professors in medicine.

 

The cost for medical-tourism has also burdened our locals. The cost of healthcare has gone up, and can only go up further. I was warded at Mt E Novena very recently. While it was beautiful, the bill that followed was truly boggling. I can imagine the competition for doctors and healthcare professionals as a result. Few doctors/nurses would not be tempted to go private. The running costs of public health care, can only go up.

 

ultimately, the healthcare/education industry are imo, on their last legs. how we navigate the next 20 years, coupled with the potential political upheaval, is a very scary thought.

 

Ok, Im done here. Peace. Majulah Singapura.

[Mustank]

i think you will recognise that those are still services. Professional services.

 

i think we might have missed a boat in the education business. the success story of the Aussie education industry is quite interesting. We have a very strategic position as a gateway between the east and the west. Particularly, China and the rest of the world. The very reason why Jim Rogers is here.

 

We could have aggressively sold our post/under grad programs to the west. But alas, we have so far only managed to attract, in droves, the easterners trying to head west, and hardly the other way round. As of now, i believe we are too late to reverse this, where the Chinese universities have already upped their stakes, and a westerner would prefer to head there directly.

 

Our local market is riddled with scam-like institutions selling their diplomas/degrees to the Chinese. As far as Im concerned, they might as well just issue student visas to KTV girls directly. a number of them are here for that reason anyway. The value that this particular market brings is limited.

 

as for healthcare services, i find increasingly, my doctor friends moving into aesthetics, for the $$. Im sure you know this better than me, with your alleged background. I fear that our competence as a hub for holistic medical care will slowly be eroded. As of now, the hospitals are slowly being populated with FT doctors. I would not be surprised in 20 years time to find a dramatic shortage of local professors in medicine.

 

The cost for medical-tourism has also burdened our locals. The cost of healthcare has gone up, and can only go up further. I was warded at Mt E Novena very recently. While it was beautiful, the bill that followed was truly boggling. I can imagine the competition for doctors and healthcare professionals as a result. Few doctors/nurses would not be tempted to go private. The running costs of public health care, can only go up.

 

ultimately, the healthcare/education industry are imo, on their last legs. how we navigate the next 20 years, coupled with the potential political upheaval, is a very scary thought.

 

Ok, Im done here. Peace. Majulah Singapura.

 

i love your posts

 

[Dannyaki]

i think you will recognise that those are still services. Professional services.

 

i think we might have missed a boat in the education business. the success story of the Aussie education industry is quite interesting. We have a very strategic position as a gateway between the east and the west. Particularly, China and the rest of the world. The very reason why Jim Rogers is here.

 

We could have aggressively sold our post/under grad programs to the west. But alas, we have so far only managed to attract, in droves, the easterners trying to head west, and hardly the other way round. As of now, i believe we are too late to reverse this, where the Chinese universities have already upped their stakes, and a westerner would prefer to head there directly.

 

Our local market is riddled with scam-like institutions selling their diplomas/degrees to the Chinese. As far as Im concerned, they might as well just issue student visas to KTV girls directly. a number of them are here for that reason anyway. The value that this particular market brings is limited.

 

as for healthcare services, i find increasingly, my doctor friends moving into aesthetics, for the $$. Im sure you know this better than me, with your alleged background. I fear that our competence as a hub for holistic medical care will slowly be eroded. As of now, the hospitals are slowly being populated with FT doctors. I would not be surprised in 20 years time to find a dramatic shortage of local professors in medicine.

 

The cost for medical-tourism has also burdened our locals. The cost of healthcare has gone up, and can only go up further. I was warded at Mt E Novena very recently. While it was beautiful, the bill that followed was truly boggling. I can imagine the competition for doctors and healthcare professionals as a result. Few doctors/nurses would not be tempted to go private. The running costs of public health care, can only go up.

 

ultimately, the healthcare/education industry are imo, on their last legs. how we navigate the next 20 years, coupled with the potential political upheaval, is a very scary thought.

 

Ok, Im done here. Peace. Majulah Singapura.

 

Our resident MCF wise old unker has spoken.

[Darthrevan]

When are you gonna improve your English brudder?

 

finally another person took notice of his english

[Acemundo]

I think sometimes it

[Darthrevan]

as the revered zhu ge liang said 天时、地利、人合

 

ermm..that is written by 孙膑