CNA Article - The Big Read: Fuelled partly by youths' anxiety, the internship rat race has unintended effects
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My girl was offered a role, with focus in the energy industry, in a consultancy firm pre-graduation. Had to turn down the offer to accept a post-graduate offer.
She was unsuccessful for the global MA program at another consultancy - the exposure during the selection process was beneficial.
She is currently doing consultancy in regulatory services innovation at a start-up overseas, concurrently with her studies.
Strong demand in her area of studies both locally and overseas but will likely come back to Asia as economic activities appear to be picking up. -
Actually last time I thought once we are out of the SG pri/sec/jc education, it will then be a shake leg experience in university as the modules are usually well spread out and even got time for part time job. I got a culture shock when my daughter seemed more busy than ever. I asked her what was she busy with. She says studies only take 30%, the rest are CCAs, leadership, case comps etc, no time to even study not to mention part time work etc. All these to build up portfolio to garner that first internship or networking opportunities.
So scary right……seems like no end is in sight until retirement or burnt out. This generation kids quite poor thing. -
I guess instead of a part time job, it is now in the form of internships.
The culture from Pri Sch to Sec Sch to JC extends to SG unis. This is one reason why my kids tell me if given a choice, they would prefer to study overseas, even at lower ranked universities. They feel the SG system has taught them enough about how to study and to study hard - they don’t need to learn and experience that once again in uni. And no matter what the local unis do or how good they are, the cohort is largely Singaporean so the culture will remain.
Going overseas, to my kids, is to see and experience more diverse perspectives, lifestyles and choices. That said, our local universities are very highly ranked and it’s hard for them to break out of the thinking of giving up a place in a desired course in local unis to go overseas too. I guess they are conflicted. -
doodbug\" post_id=\"2135201\" time=\"1718764059\" user_id=\"13281:
Actually going overseas is just as competitive. DD is in the lab / library even at midnight and she is not alone.
I guess instead of a part time job, it is now in the form of internships.
The culture from Pri Sch to Sec Sch to JC extends to SG unis. This is one reason why my kids tell me if given a choice, they would prefer to study overseas, even at lower ranked universities. They feel the SG system has taught them enough about how to study and to study hard - they don't need to learn and experience that once again in uni. And no matter what the local unis do or how good they are, the cohort is largely Singaporean so the culture will remain.
Going overseas, to my kids, is to see and experience more diverse perspectives, lifestyles and choices. That said, our local universities are very highly ranked and it's hard for them to break out of the thinking of giving up a place in a desired course in local unis to go overseas too. I guess they are conflicted.
Based on DD's and some other kids' experience, working part-time is slightly different from internship as they are still required to attend classes, complete assignments and take exams concurrently. There is no recognition by the uni for part-time work. But it demonstrates ability in time and pressure management in future job search.
Internship, as I understand, is part of the curriculum and time is set aside for the students.
Setting up own small business, 创(小)业 is also another alternative. -
There are two types of internships - credit bearing, and non credit bearing.
The non credit bearing ones are like part time work, they are usually done on top of classes etc.
Some students take a leave of absence to go on internships too. This usually means extending candidature if you do not overload on classes in the other semesters.
I am sure it is competitive overseas too, but I think the nature of it is different from the culture in Singapore universities. You will find students in the lab/library at midnight in every university it’s just the prevalence and extent of it. In Singapore, the list of "desirable" options is quite entrenched whereas overseas, you have very able students with a wider range of career options and interests. -
A lot of the pressure comes from within. Many students feel compelled to do as much as or more than others - some because they are innately competitive, and some because they feel unable to be different.
Other than the internships which are part of courses and therefore compulsory, students can choose to do more or fewer. There are costs for every choice - do more, and pay the price in social life, sleep, CCA, maybe poorer academic performance etc. Do less, and pay the price in your CV looking emptier. Whether prospective employers are genuinely impressed by applicants with long lists of internships is unclear; maybe they are only impressed by one of two of the internships, and couldn’t care less if the others weren’t there!
Since no-one is actually forcing students to so many internships, they have to decide how much they want to participate in the rat race. Perhaps one well-chosen internship every long vacation would be good enough. There are consequences for every choice, and they have to weigh these up for themselves.
I don’t think that being in an overseas university frees a student from the rat race. Singaporean students often bring their competitive streaks with them, and they will find those who are just as competitive in those overseas universities to compare with! It takes maturity and an independence of mind to do as much as they feel is right for them, and not feel impelled to follow the pack, and they can do that locally as well. -
slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2135212\" time=\"1718767888\" user_id=\"28674:
certainly agree. going overseas doesn't free anyone from the rat race - if for nothing, one sees more clearly what global competition means. But it also opens new perspectives and clarity on the choices one makes. it's sometimes hard to see beyond the SG perspective while in SG. I also think many develop a greater appreciation for SG after they have been out for a while, heh.
A lot of the pressure comes from within. Many students feel compelled to do as much as or more than others - some because they are innately competitive, and some because they feel unable to be different.
Other than the internships which are part of courses and therefore compulsory, students can choose to do more or fewer. There are costs for every choice - do more, and pay the price in social life, sleep, CCA, maybe poorer academic performance etc. Do less, and pay the price in your CV looking emptier. Whether prospective employers are genuinely impressed by applicants with long lists of internships is unclear; maybe they are only impressed by one of two of the internships, and couldn't care less if the others weren't there!
Since no-one is actually forcing students to so many internships, they have to decide how much they want to participate in the rat race. Perhaps one well-chosen internship every long vacation would be good enough. There are consequences for every choice, and they have to weigh these up for themselves.
I don't think that being in an overseas university frees a student from the rat race. Singaporean students often bring their competitive streaks with them, and they will find those who are just as competitive in those overseas universities to compare with! It takes maturity and an independence of mind to do as much as they feel is right for them, and not feel impelled to follow the pack, and they can do that locally as well.
I guess many of us are curiously watching and wondering how much our kids will be sucked into the rat race culture at the university / working stage of life. Most of us are already familiar with what the picture is at the schooling level. -
doodbug\" post_id=\"2135213\" time=\"1718768298\" user_id=\"13281:
I suppose my kids have experienced less of this as we lived so many years overseas, and we parents have always been \"different\". They also have always been different from those around them, whether overseas or locally, and one child has learning needs as well, which makes her doubly different! We've always helped them to ask themselves what they really want and can handle, and not blindly follow the crowd. And for one of them, even if she could have handled more, we advised her to seek balance in choosing activities, and to reserve enough time for rest and leisure. We also told them to close their ears to the constant Singapore admonishments to work as hard as possible, aim as high as possible, be better than everyone else...
certainly agree. going overseas doesn't free anyone from the rat race - if for nothing, one sees more clearly what global competition means. But it also opens new perspectives and clarity on the choices one makes. it's sometimes hard to see beyond the SG perspective while in SG. I also think many develop a greater appreciation for SG after they have been out for a while, heh.
I guess many of us are curiously watching and wondering how much our kids will be sucked into the rat race culture at the university / working stage of life. Most of us are already familiar with what the picture is at the schooling level. -
doodbug\" post_id=\"2135201\" time=\"1718764059\" user_id=\"13281:
They are not quite the same. For part time jobs you can suka suka apply any job eg FnB or retail to maximise income. For internships you hv to be very very selective to ensure it pads your portfolio the right way.
I guess instead of a part time job, it is now in the form of internships. -
Imp75\" post_id=\"2135216\" time=\"1718775737\" user_id=\"2358:
You can often \"spin\" the value of a job, even if it doesn't directly point to a specific type of career. Creative thinking!
They are not quite the same. For part time jobs you can suka suka apply any job eg FnB or retail to maximise income. For internships you hv to be very very selective to ensure it pads your portfolio the right way.
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