Are NUS Fresh Grads Getting Too GREEDY?! | TDK Podcast

How much do fresh grads in Singapore earn? Is it crazy to expect $10,000 for your starting salary? Will you ever be satisfied with your pay?
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Cast:
• Johnathan Chua / johnathanchua
• Daniel Lim / danlim11
• Jonathan Paul / jonathanpaul.sxw
• Denise Oh / ohthedenise
Behind the Cam:
• Nashrul Merza
• Julian Chin
• Daren Khek
• Charlene Goh
• Amirul Nashtrie
Edited by:
Daniel See

[@zx9071]

For the "pay yourself first before anything" i think its supposed to be to put money into investments/savings before paying for your bills and everything. This forces you to find alternative ways to build more passive incomes as you are forced to live with that remaining after paying youself. This can be read in "rich dad poor dad" book if i recall correcrly.

[@richmondyeo]

100% with Dan side. you must always take the higher pay 1st. what if you took the 2.4k and u dont feel happy in that job. if u take the 2.9k at least u secured a higher pay in the end.

[@CapDingo1975]

Guys. There is a difference between MNC pay and local firm pay. Starting pay in MNC world is "standard", not negotiable. The way to get pay rises is to keep changing jobs. Loyalty in MNC doesn't work because increment is sub 5% but changing employers can be 20+%. Question then is how to get into MNC. And unfortunately it's about academic results, dressing well, carrying one's self confidently and speaking proper English. Hope this helps, young people.

[@Rem-ht4ct]

I feel like NUS fresh grads (or fresh grads in general) aren't greedy, its more like the generations nowadays are more woke and know their worth, especially how much they studied to get their degree + the uni fees (It's hella a tough journey). It's not like they are demanding their salary to be that amount, its what they expect and some have high expectations :') I would much prefer people knowing their worth, rather than being slave driven and underpaid by companies who know what these people deserve yet continue to do so :l Their youth and time is something that no amount of money can suffice tbh. And also, knowing your worth is important but also be realistic. At least start from somewhere and work your way up as well. Just make sure to prepare yourself and do adequate research. Personally, I graduated from NUS nursing and the pay is notorious HAHA. But I was financially struggling so just getting a job would alleviate that stress. After a couple of months of working, I am able to plan my future with a "clearer head".

[@IamNinjaOfNinja]

a lot of us life science graduate are also severely underpaid for what our brains had to go through to study science. Our course are also more expensive and tough, probably the toughest too. If you stay as a nurse you won't get paid much unless you go management level or business side. And that's the sad reality, the people directly helping people are not paid worse than those that just sit on a higher level

[@squishypillow3162]

14:45 thats an inaccurate representation of 10k starting pay jobs imo. My friends in that pay range work from 9am-1am on the regular, weekends too. At those work hours, you don’t have time to even think about a side hustle. Much less family, friends, & relationships. Edit: Not to mention the pressure of getting fired anytime if you don’t perform. Earn big, but questionable stability

[@limjonavan]

10k is realistic for IB fresh grads but my friends who are in that industry work over 60 hours a week, and there isn't time for any side hustle, hobbies.

[@bigmattwheel]

came here to say this! You'll age 10 years in that first year. Is that worth it?

[@TheDailyKetchupPodcast]

Is a high-paying salary the best measure of career success? How can fresh grads stop comparing themselves to their peers?

[@CapDingo1975]

For those younger, yes pay matter. It means buying newer things faster than friends, condo rather than HDB, new car vs 2nd hand, those fancy 3 wheel baby prams vs standard 4 wheel. Yes, it's a face thing unfortunately. But if you're like me and don't care about how others perceive you, then the frugal life is fine and you can save! As you age it's less about dollars (friend groups change), and more about position and job titles. I guess dollars accompany that too but the pride of men put significance on how big the title sounds. Again, if you don't bother about others then you will be fine. Advice to youngsters, know who you are, be confident in who you are, and be the best with who you are. Don't try to be someone else because it brings misery and the joy in your life disappears because you keep comparing. Be health, be happy folks.

[@pigsunited]

I follow most of TDK's videos (if not all) and today's episode felt disappointing when i watched the reactions of the "hosts". from 14.47 onwards, i just paused and think about John Paul's reaction and how it reflects about the society's emphasis on money (insinuating status/value) and possibly the influence on audience. the vicious cycle for work-chasing-money-chasing work doesnt improve when one goes "10k enough meh?" Probably that's not what he meant but the tone can be interpreted otherwise. For a topic that's considered touchy and sensitive because it touches on individual's capabilities (that can be influenced by so many factors from parents, upbringing, race, genetics, etc) i would have been comforted if the episode allows people to explore questions about money vs non-tangible quality of life vs best of individual's capability. this is my 20cents worth.

[@jlin995]

From the graduated cohort of 2022 here. I started at $4.2k mid of last year. I thought that was acceptable, until I saw the graduate employment survey 2022 (just came out today). $4.2k is below average...

[@RavenCloudNine]

I always question if those surveys reflects reality. How many, and who responded to that survey? Because from my experience dealing with kids, students, adults, I learnt that MOST people( not goody2shoes, or those troubled in life, or unhappy with their job) can't be bothered to respond to those surveys. Which makes me wonder if all these surveys are always skewed which end up average salary appearing higher.

[@sonofbuddhaTR]

Selection bias

[@IamNinjaOfNinja]

meanwhile a life science student who fried their brains get paid peanuts

[@danplays1403]

Are you me? I got 4.35k mid last year too and thought this was alright because it's above the median pay for my course. Then two days ago the GES came out and the median for my course is now 5k....., 25th percentile is like 4.16k already......

[@danplays1403]

​@@RavenCloudNine i cant say for sure but according to the survey the participation rate for NTU alone was around 75% of the cohort? The question is then whether the 75% is representative enough or are they biased to the higher end

[@MorendraNodi]

Oh man I just love how random Denise can be! She is too adorable!

[@ssl1206]

Good hosting!

[@elilo5867]

I expect my starting celery to be 5 cents per stalk

[@michaelleong2822]

Pay for yourself first, means once your salary is credited, u take an amount to SAVE UP.... that's pay yourself first... then the remainder is used to pay bills and stuffs, and the remainder goes to expenses for entertainment etc. The saved up amount includes amount going to cash savings, investments, FD etc.

[@joshau2346]

10k isnt a unrealistic goal. but will be more reasonable as an experienced hire after 3years in an external consulting firm to build the resume. i was an IT Risk Consultant as a fresh grad. my peers are making ard 8-12k after they left to work in firms like bytedance

[@fatedestroyer]

Mr Naive doing a good job.

[@yoloyolo1307]

It student get median of 5.7k per month. When I see such such survey I feel useless...Work for almost ten years not even 10k

[@jeffreyzaidy5801]

Love this cast lineup. Keep it this way

[@Hldhl2]

Lol. His definition of pay yourself first is so wrong.

[@tinyblackmage]

Yea lol, the “pay yourself first” concept is to put aside fixed % amount to savings first. His definition is completely wrong 😑

[@khaosmue2114]

if you think 10k/month in sg is a lot, then you are going to be in trouble real soon. After student debt, living expenses, 10k/month is just enough to give u a comfortable life as a single. With children, u going to be broke again. Stop normalising fresh grads earning 4K+ salary cuz really that’s not enough. We shld not be aiming for a starting salary which barely allows us to survive, but one which allows us to live moderately comfortably (no worries about bills and enough to splurge) You did not come this far (completing Uni) to earn peanuts. Many would use the lack of experience as an excuse for less pay, but graduates have proven to learn faster and perform better within a shorter period of time than those “old timers”. What the old birds achieved in 10 years, grads can achieve in one third the time. In western countries fresh grads earn triple of what we are earning, NET, after all the taxes, because they have allowance adjustment based on the cost of living. Meaning they have a base rate, then depending on where you live and factoring in the taxes, your base increase accordingly so whatever u take, will still net out. By 28, my salary alrdy hit 10k/month and I am not a top grad. Scored a second upper, and was just a normal student. So it’s possible. Work smart, network, seize opportunities, and most importantly, make a conscious effort to progress in your career everyday

[@sadmochineko]

funny how this video came out at the time where im about to take a pay cut to move to a "better" place. im literally starting from step one again after 2 years but i think it will get me to a better place instead of staying where im.

[@00-_-_-_-00]

I studied in NUS for an Engineering major and got ridiculed by my peers because I expected at least 5k for my first job after I graduate despite having a GPA below 4.0. In the end I got my first job as a business associate for slightly above 4k a month only to receive an offer for as an entry level process engineer from another company for 6k a few months later. I imagine someone with better academic achievements would easily get 8-10k (this was in the mid 2010s by the way). So it's definitely possible especially if you're one of those ambitious high end achievers that NUS is never short of

[@meklavier4664]

not if you are from goldman sach. crap they pay their intern 7k already

[@TheDailyKetchupPodcast]

are they hiring???

[@craftedgt]

watching this makes me want to stay a student forever

[@TheDailyKetchupPodcast]

tbh same

[@InoXtiC]

Starting pay? Depends.. really.. i would love to do something i like and won't get tired of doing and get paid to do. 2K should be enough or 2.4 Before CPF. The only thing i am afraid is the boss giving me task where i don't know how to do.

[@imagineoceans]

jared did a great job at hosting

[@agentjackbauer88]

Yes! Those grads need to put in several years of work at least before earning a five-figure salary regardless of where they graduated. Smart hiring managers would take experience versus a rookie. Many companies today are looking for those who could hit the ground running. Keep in mind that time is a valuable asset as well.

[@atatur123]

10K is very doable for finance fresh grad in US. Not in SG IMO.

[@bdjeosjfjdskskkdjdnfbdj]

facebook swe interns in sg were getting paid 10k last year just saying

[@juleana7]

Bring Alison back leh

[@g.o.a.t4393]

i graduated oversees, can't relate

[@AK8901]

TDK going stronnggg

[@brandonteh1381]

dont think she said she hope. think she said she expect to get 10k. it is possible to get 10k fresh grad but not her major lah...

[@mattw6922]

IBD bulge bracket pays 10k though. And they definitely hire business and accounting students. In some countries they even love to hire accounting students

[@angelicomdc9199]

heart

[@alvin0574]

😂 mainly all must prove their worth

[@kazami5699]

I think NUS fresh grad should not expect $10k pay as it is very greedy

[@Dino-pk5hc]

unrealistic ! why ? because sg companies can just hire foreigners with 15 YEARS of hands on experience with HALF the asking salary haha

[@user47362]

My starting pay 6k

[@Slash2416]

high salary means you reach your 14K HDB ceiling cap very fast. So technically if one earn high , other must earn low to buy HDB.

[@ChindianKing888]

Pay is one thing, work life balance is another

[@jinwoooooooooo]

temasek offers 10.5k/m starting salary for NUS business admin fresh grads with first class hons

[@sadmochineko]

only to suffer under bad management and lose money to crypto /s

[@jinwoooooooooo]

@@sadmochineko asset management interns doesn't have rights to pick stocks. infact, temasek portfolio size increased about ~ 140 billion from Pfizer / moderna in 2021, biggest portfolio value increase for temasek ever

[@kylieng4617]

YES conclusion talk to Ur boss I recently had that talk with my boss and I don't deny it was scary af I back out a few times unit I was like Okay just sent a text and say u want to chat But there is a different epi that TDK I think it's the one with freelance Vs full time that did touch on how to go abt talking with Ur boss. I think that help was definitely finding out how much other ppl make in Ur job and wat are the job scopes 2 wat skills u have that u can value add to the company 3 give a time period to achieve this and come back have a seat down abt it 4 opt but when u want an increase the company has to make the increase too so which of Ur skill sets can u use to draw business in This are some pts that I base the discussion on ! And it helped frame my proposal

[@ooklaus5585]

lol not trying to be negative, i am a auditor for a few years, i always review the payrolls for audit testing...... 10k salary (non-sales, not bankers, non-management program) is so hard to get, if u are a cost center like in finance getting 8k is already quite high.... if u wan to get paid higher, u must be contributing to the company, do expect a routine work with a stress free make u deserve a 10k salary

[@leechin4543]

I'm also an internal auditor, I agree with you. In a reputable firm, a fresh graduate is nothing. They have a myriad of fresh grads who wanna join that company. Unless in a revenue generating role, people in the back end unlikely to get 10K a mth.

[@Freddusya]

20:20 i think he confused with the meaning of "pay yourself first". It's a jewish money saving concept. It means saving 50% of your salary and put it aside for investment returns, and if you really want to be great at it, you save 75%. realistically it means you save up half the money before you even pay any bills. And if it's not enough after you take out 50%, then you are living above your means. this concept will make more sense, if let say, you strike toto money 1 million, or if your sell your business, your assets. Like how would one divide up the money for use, and why? If you earning $50k per year or lower however, its a lot easier to get ahead by not incurring more debts than "pay yourself first" with the vacation you want.

[@martinlee7102]

Nope they are stop attacking them as greedy some are but not all

[@tanroger2117]

My first job was $600 ....laptop repair technician with Compaq

[@MorendraNodi]

I assume that was decades ago?

[@andreas6508]

10k is obviously high but it does not mean impossible, Many of my smart friends also got that offer, and even in their second year, they got a Manager level role and received 20k+ salary

[@hotmixer2010]

Go overseas work can earn even more than any job on a tiny island called Singapore, here employers can just easily get S-Pass and E-Pass foreigners and chuck local applicants in the trashbin

[@MrBoliao98]

I mean, y'all can see the median ah, it's 3.8k last year. So those are facts. 10k ppl is got, how many nia? She Might troll, I also dunno

[@desrexius]

Did anyone realize Jared looks like Daniel's doppelganger with hair? 🤣

[@masterboiboi]

LOL the uni of melb dude obv dk how the market is right now

[@Jack-hy2ki]

NTC-2 aka Nitec grad here. My last job monthly pay with OT was 7k. But then I had 15 yrs experience. Engineering industry. Just sharing. Now not working for others.

[@reubenlee3770]

10k fresh grad 🤣

[@benwong2061]

Algooooooooooooooooo

[@MrZomfgwtfbbq]

What about Ryan Kaji pulling 50 million a year? Or MrBeast pulling millions an episode. Guys context.

[@Ben-kh2rh]

Algoooo!

[@Vachalen]

I think it is good that the girl said $10000/mth so when she finally applied for jobs and offered her $4k, she can at least learn how to be disappointed repeatedly at work. Good lessons.