The stuff which irks me
The stuff which irks me:The huge Life science propaganda.
Youths of today are brain washed to view THE Life Sciences in awe.
Impressionable young minds.
Just within a few months of incessant rave about how wonder the lie.. oops life sciences can be, intake for NUS biology course tripled.
Doesn't matter that we don't have support for that.
Doesn't matter that labs are staggered into the night.
Doesn't matter when our lecture theatres are not big enough.
Now, Life Sciences is the IN thing. Even an article.. or some kind of interview of Philip Yeo was in the ST... and even he was reading a bio text! A few years ago, it was IT, and before that, if my memory serves me right, I must have been really young then, it was Engineering (my mother still lives in that era and thinks the world of engineers).
Life sciences is mostly about genomics, proteins, biochemistry. Gone is our classical biology where students learn about ecology, plants, animals. My teacher back in Junior college was one of those who believed that as biologist, we should at least know something about the nature, about evolution, about our flora and fauna even if its probably something the gahmen thinks won't help the economy. Some of the most interesting stuff I did in biology was Homosexuality in Animals...
I remembered hearing this speech made by an MP a few years ago...
its goes something like:
The purpose of education is to help the economy.
An idealist can't survive in this pragmatic environment. We don't learn because we like and enjoy it, but because it serves a greater good.
I am going so out of point. The point is, I am a graduate in the life sciences and if u flip through the papers, u realise that there really isn't a demand for people like us! And I belong to the cohort of people before intake tripled! If its that tough for me, it won't be any easier for those undergraduates slogging away not knowing that test-tube washing/data entry awaits their bleak future. And its not like I had awful results or something. I am at the very least average -- and i think i am being modest here.
And then, the gahmen tells us that we are fussy about jobs. Its not us who's fussy, its them! Flip the papers again and you see how many companies simply wants to have experienced staff. Its too much trouble to train fresh grads, even if they are "willing to learn" which i am very sure ALL fresh grads pledge to be. And sometimes, I think I am over qualified. Many of the ads require only a diploma (and pay only a diploma's worth). Yes, I am being fussy about salary. I have a right to be when I need to pay off tuition loans and I am already 24! Do the sums... 4 years of education, 6k a year, 24k in all, lets not even talk about interest rates. Assume I earn 2k a month, after CPF, take home pay is only 1.6k. Daily required expenses, some money to parents, savings -- I don't know what i have left. And with GST at 5% (we are only 3% less than CA and i think NY), transports cost increasing... how is one to survive? I don't even have insurance 'cept for Medisave/shield which can't cover that much unless i die soon or something.
And perhaps I should stop whining but do something about my situation. I am. I send out 1 resume a week -- since there is usually only one that is relevant. Meanwhile, I do data entry in the marketing department. Sounds nice, but seriously, its as simple as resale - cost = profit. Is it at a positive margin? If not, drop an email to so and so...
And people ask me, what kind of job are u looking for?
I would like to do something in the life sciences, because I really like it even without gahmen propaganda. But its really hard finding something like that.
*silence* *gasp* Finally, they say,
I thought the life science sector is opening up? I thought there are many job openings?
Thats not true, look at the papers and u will know. There are perhaps many job openings for marketing, business development, strategic planning, accounts, IT, human resource, administration -- ALL these in the LIfe sciences which really has nothing to do with life sciences.
Oh and you know what we really need too? Nurses.
We have quite a lot of them from China and Philippines.
I should have gone to nursing, except that I really lack patience and feel no compassion.
Actually, I said that Life Science is the IN thing now... but I take that back. I forgot, its the Integrated Resort!
posted by eline @ 5:39 PM
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