SINGAPORE: “Is it still realistic for Computer Science grads nowadays to expect a S$7k starting pay like before?” A man posed this question online after his cousin, a current JC2 student, began having second thoughts about pursuing a Computer Science degree.
Posting on the r/singaporefi forum on Saturday (Jan 31), the man said that while his cousin has a strong interest in coding, the recent wave of tech layoffs, coupled with growing talk that AI could replace entry- to mid-level software engineers, has made him hesitant.
Wanting to help his cousin make a more informed choice, the man turned to local netizens for their views.
“Given the current landscape, is it still realistic for CS graduates to expect starting salaries around S$7k like in the past? How achievable is that today?” he asked.
“From what I understand, CS intake is still among the most competitive, comparable to engineering courses. Would appreciate insights from people in the industry.”
“It is possible to earn any salary range from any degree.”
The responses were largely sobering.
Many commenters argued that the extraordinary salaries seen between 2017 and 2022 were the result of unique economic conditions unlikely to return anytime soon.
One user wrote, “Honestly, the 2017-2022 tech market won’t return. The negative interest rates are gone, nobody is there to invest in competitors/disruptors anymore, and the need for more people is gone. This peaked in 2020-22 because of the pandemic. We are in shareholders economy now. This is what killed it, not AI.”
Another pointed out, “For the last time: CS is NOT a field to join if your goal is to chase money. Look from the company’s perspective and ask yourself why they would hire a fresh graduate for 7k.”
“What magical concepts of software do you have that an existing developer with experience cannot do at a lower salary? Do you really think that piece of paper you call a degree is going to magically allow you to do the work that needs to be done?”
Still, a few commenters noted that high starting salaries are not entirely out of reach.
One said, “Well, it depends. Having an interest is not enough – is he going to hackathons, winning, practising coding passionately and building things/learning how to build things in his spare time? If yes, then ‘maybe.’ 7k starting salary will not be for SMEs in Singapore for tech, no matter how specialised. It’ll have to be bigtech or funded US/UK startups.”
Another remarked, “It is possible to earn any salary range from any degree. The question is whether he’s average or a top performer for the skills the businesses need.”
In other news, a 26-year-old woman was left utterly flabbergasted, and more than a little insulted, when her 29-year-old ex-boyfriend casually asked her to transfer her share of their BTO flat to his new girlfriend. Yikes.
In a post on a local forum, the woman said they had been together for seven years, having started dating back in their JC days.
Read more: ‘Cannot eat, cannot sleep’: Woman devastated after ex asks her to hand over BTO to new girlfriend
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