SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to share that he had been turned down for managerial positions due to his lack of degree.
“Every employer wants the candidate to be at least a degree holder in sg. This is crazy.. what about our work experience? Shouldn’t that be a major factor for consideration instead?” the man wrote on r/SingaporeRaw on Monday (Jan 7).
In the post, the man said that he thought his engineering diploma and work experiences were good enough when it came to applying to these positions.
He then said he regretted “not studying for a degree” when he was younger.
“Seeking employment in sg is such a touch process,” the man said.
‘It’s too late to worry about your actions in the past’
Under the man’s post, numerous Singaporean Redditors told him that instead of regretting it, he should take action to improve his chances of getting hired.
One Redditor said, “It’s too late to worry about your actions in the past, and there’s also no point in blaming the entire employment market. You can either go get a degree now if it gives you the confidence when applying, or you can either just work on other areas that improve you.”
Another said, “Now is the best time to study again with years of work experience and it is fun to keep up with an ongoing challenge in life that wakes you up every morning.
Premiere universities are offering online mode of teaching which is a great chance of lifetime for people who have missed their opportunity to get a degree because of various reasons.”
As for why a degree mattered to some employers, a Redditor explained to the man that it demonstrated commitment and learning capacity.
“Work experience doesn’t show that,” he added.
Another stated, “The job market has realized that experience doesn’t count for much. Degrees are the same, what more for diplomas?
Having a degree, experience plus OTHER factors are basically the starting point now for middle-to-high management roles, so unless you’re like some well-known industry superstar, expect to be passed over 99% of the time.”
Singapore Job Market
The job market in Singapore is still extremely competitive, even though the country’s economy has begun to recover from the pandemic.
Going up against highly educated locals and global talents can sometimes be intimidating. That is why, at these times, it’s very important to enhance one’s skills.
The ADP study lists the top 5 skills Singaporeans think will be most important for their jobs in the next five years in the link below.
Read related: Future-proof your career: Top 5 must-have job skills for Singaporeans in the next 5 years