He's telling u to stop dreaming bout earning 5 figure salaries as a fresh graduate. Get the right facts and work towards it. Dont just make salary your sole ambition. Many of those who chose jobs based on salaries are very disappointed ppl today. Take this from a person who has 11 years experience and is currently in Management and earning approx RM200K per annum.

Do u even read what the other ppl are trying to tell u here?

You have got the whole idea wrong. First u made the wrong assumption in assuming that the data u provided was a monthly salary instead of annual income. Then u started comparing with foreign countries and then converting the money into ringgit to say that AS degree holders earn a lot. Then u used ONE person's salary in Singapore and converted it to ringgit to assume that was a great salary. And now ure trying to defend yerself.

Stop with this 'i know it all' mentality. This is the type of mentality that will get you nowhere in life. Uve not even gotten yourself into a degree program yet and ure already talking as if u know everything about work. Learn to take advice from the seniors here.

Let me tell u something. Anybody can earn a 5 figure salary with most basic technical/finance degrees/diploma working in any country with a higher currency convertion rate. So quit harping about AS. U want higher salary go and work in conflict zones. Ive employed local engineers with only 4 years experience to be based at very remote mining sites in Mongolia and their salary is about RM17,000 a month. I also know of many professionals working in other conflict zones in Sudan, Middle East Kalimantan who earn much more. U think thats great? It isnt when u consider other factors. Ive worked overseas so i know what im talking about.

When u talk about working overseas its not just about the salary ure paid. More important is the TAKE HOME SALARY not just the numbers on papar. Also consider cost of living, accomodation, transport, home base travel, etc. Thats why when experienced ppl talk about overseas postings, they always talk about salary PACKAGES. Not just the salary alone. You have to look at the WHOLE picture. Your friend in Singapore may earn SGD 4,100 per month. But how much is his take home pay after local taxes, how much is his daily expenses, accomodation, travel, etc? After deducting all that, then come and tell me how much he earns. And no its not the same with Malaysia. Thats why experienced ppl always negotiate salary packages when posted overseas e.g tax exemption, paid housing, company home base travel, company transport, etc.

But the most important thing is to STOP FOCUSING ON SALARIES. As a fresh grad u should be focused on GETTING EXPERIENCE & PROVING YORSELF first. Ive done many interviews for technical positions and when anybody asks me how much is the company prepared to pay, the question i ask them back is how much do u think ure worth to this company. And trust me, a piece of paper qualification only grants u permission to work in that field. Employers are more concerned about what you can deliver to the business. Any candidate who thinks he can walk into my interview session with paper qualifications with the assumption he is in a position to bargain with me bout salary, will most surely get shown the door eventually.

Ive employed candidates with lesser paper qualifications and experience but had the correct attitude compared to those who were highly qualified. In my opinion, attitude and character is more important that a papar qualification or the number of exams uve passed simply because its easier to groom a person with the right attitude instead of someone who thinks he knows everything before even starting.

So stop choosing fields of study based on some salary data you get of the net. You can earn top dollar but that accounts for nothing when uve lost your job satisfaction. And trust me when i say this that job satisfaction does not come from a high salary.

So should i employ someone with more papers but with the wrong work attitude?

What has job satisfaction to do with your passion for maths and econs? Ure again going back to papar qualifications and interests. Let me put this into perspective for you. Job satisfaction means that even if you dont earn a high salary, ure still happy waking up for work each day cuz ure thankful for other benefits you might be getting e.g good learning experiences, good working environment, lower stress levels, ample time for family, good employer, caring superiors, more opportunity for personal development, etc. Not many employers offer all these together with a high salary. But when u make money your sole encouragement, you may earn more in the beginning thanks to some additional qualification but soon ull find ppl lower than u have not only caught up but also bypassed you in the corporate hyrarchy.

Ure talking based on some salary data u got on the net. The real working world does NOT emphasise on paper qualification. Get that out of your head please. Its not about whichever industry im in. When ure at my level, u dont just mix with ppl from your own industry. Im also a member of the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), Switzerland whose alumni are top execs from major international companies. Google it up and read. I also recently attended a alumni session at the private home of Tan Sri Abu (Chairman of Maju Holdings). Our guest of honour was Dr M himself including top execs from Petronas, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Shell, etc. Im also a member of the Malaysian German Chamber of Commerce (MGCC) and Austrade (Australian Trade Commision to Malaysia). When u mix with ppl at this level ull realise that networking is another important factor in the real working world (as someone mentioned earlier). U can have the best degrees and results, but all that means zero when u dont possess the neccessary work culture required to succeed in your field.

To succeed and earn top dollar, u have to show that ure better than the rest. If there are 10 candidates with the same qualifications, what happens then? Is the company obliged to pay all 10 of them top salaries? What if the overhead costs for that particular department only allows upscale numeration expense for only 5? This is the common scenario in most big companies and when this happens, paper qualification goes straight out the window.

You say in AS, without papers ure nothing rite? But in the real world, a fresh grad whos primary motivation is money becomes nothing in the long run. Who you become in 15 years time is based on the decisions you make now so choose wisely.

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Added on June 13, 2012, 2:57 pmAgain the same crap theory that a foreign degree from a reputable uni is gonna guarantee you a high paying job. U obviously have got yer head either stuck too deep in the ground or too high in the clouds. Come back down to earth kiddo. I hope for your sake, you loose that air of superiority before your first job interview. As for now, u surely fit the profile of the 'dont hire me' candidate in an interview.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Jun 13 2012, 02:57 PM

Just tell me the name of her department and ill find out easily enough.

Well im not gonna respond to this guy anymore. Its clear that he's got his head up in the clouds and assumes that that damn degree is the most important factor in justifying his earning capacity in the future. Its also clear that this guy is very egoistic and has this self inflated ego. He will learn the hard way but when he's down he's surely not gonna come back to LYN to tell us we were right.

So let him be. Let him live in his own fantasy world thinking that this AS degree is like a God degree to happiness. He hasnt even completed A levels and yet he dares to speak and argue against professional seniors here who have worked more than 10 yrs. If he argues maturedly, i would gladly entertain but its clear that no matter what you tell him, he will still stick to his predefined mindset.

Agreed. For me a degree is just permission to work. What you do with that degree is what matters.

For your info, nobody was refering to you. We were refering to the other guy. Next time do check first yea?

Nobody said a degree isnt worth it. But all we are saying is that never assume that a degree alone will guarantee a high paying job.

Did u even understand what he said ah? He wasnt talking about getting specialised degrees. All he said was fresh grads can earn about 3K and i too think its possible.

But u are still going on and on about your super 'future' degree. Only an ignorant person would say that when demand is higher than supply, salary automatically increases.

I have a degree thats fairly common and yet ive reached above average heights. This had NOTHING to do with my paper qualification. My degree only gave me the licence to practice in that industry. It was due to hard work, communication & social skills, networking and being result driven.

Did u know that in all my job interviews since graduation (except the first), not once did i go into an interview room with my certificates? Ive always walked in with only my CV and still managed to land myself good jobs in good companies. Even in my current company, HR do not even have a copy of my degree. U know why? Cuz many multinational companies value experience & results over a piece of paper and if anybody doubts that, then i am living proof. But u will never understand how this is done. For your info, my current company employs approx 56,000 full time employees in 27 countries with annual revenue hitting US$ 25 bil on average.

Anyway, like many of us have stated here, u will learn the hard facts the hard way. Carry on with your egoistic know it all attitude. Im sure that's the prerequisite to instant success and the big bucks.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Jun 19 2012, 02:32 PM

YAWN!

Spoken like a true kid. Bravo.

I think u have realised that u worked yorself into a corner. Must be difficult trying to get out of it now eh? The supporters i have here are not supporting me at all. They are supporting simple facts which any working professional with experience will know.

Ure just frustrated cuz ure getting hammered by most of the seniors here. But guess what? U dug yor own grave and u nailed in all the bolts. U reap what u sow. U came in here with the Mr Know It All Attitude and u thought u got bulldoze your wikipedia facts down our throats and in the end u got thrashed by a number of ppl here. We told you nicely and explained clearly. If u have short term memory go back a few pages and read through the various comments.

But u still held on to your egoistic approach. I have a strong belief in 1 thing and that is when u have a problem with 1 or 2 ppl, u may say its their fault but when the majority are against you then you need to take a good hard look at yorself.

Whatever ive said was spoken based on experience which sadly u dont have. I dont have an ego and i have no worries about 'losing' to anybody. If a kid corrects my mistake i will gladly apologise and correct myself in future. Thats the best way to learn. But in this case, i dont see how any of your arguments can hold up against anything. U are the one living in your fantasy wikipedia world and many others here have repeated this stand.

Are they all wrong as well? Go figure.

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Added on June 19, 2012, 11:20 pmThe real question here is, with this attitude, will he get the job in the first place?

Oh i forgot. He thinks that his AS degree automatically gets him a 5 figure salary if he passes the exams.

This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Jun 20 2012, 01:44 AM

Answer this question: If u have some of the required papers in your AS degree and zero experience but u have an attitude that stinks so bad that the interviewer realises it during the interview, would you still be offered a 5 digit salary paying job?

A simple yes or no answer will do. No need for lengthy explanations.

Btw, i didnt mention this earlier but i have a close Malaysian associate who is AS qualified and she works with Shell Norway. She was a brilliant student at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, UK which was the first uni in UK to offer Actuarial Science. I did have a chat with her the other day and sent her the link to this forum. She actually laughed at what u said and she said the same thing that you will learn the harsh reality of AS only when u actually start studying for it and subsequently working in that field.

So u see, i dont actually speak without checking my facts.


This post has been edited by cybermaster98: Jun 20 2012, 01:39 AM

Worked up?

We're having fun!

Generally i think annual increments would be in the region of 5-10% for Malaysians in MNC's. But there are many individual cases of high increments which are due to positional change or high performance. My increment for this year was about 35% but due to the 2 factors mentioned earlier not just due to performance.

But increments cannot be taken at face value and compared across board. Some companies may give low increments but higher bonus to offset higher monthly overhead costs.

Having a salary freeze is not always a bad thing. Sometimes we have to look at things from an operational point of view. Salary freezes are usually implemented when profit margins are below expectation or when overhead costs escalate beyond its predefined thresholds. But often these moves are neccessary to ensure 'survival' of the company. Its based on the concept of 'banding together' meaning when times are good everybody gets good increments & bonuses but when the company is in crisis, then everyone is expected to share the pain (although its not always the fairest of options). But quite often a salary freeze is important in keeping most (if not all) staff employed.

But sadly, i also know of cases whereby companies use insufficient profit as an excuse not to give increments/bonuses. This is where employee unions and unity in numbers come into play. If you feel your company is in good shape but merely wanna increase profit margins by cancelling increments, then its up to its staff to get together and demand a plausible explanation.

Well not sure about IT salaries but yes banks take your basic salary into consideration. Sometimes they dont even consider fixed allowances.

How do you know ure underpaid? There are many senior design engineers with about 10-11 yrs working experience earning only about RM7-8K per month. And im refering to established companies like AECOM, etc. What company are you in?

Market rate or maybe even above average.

We cannot compare salaries using merely its face value. There are many factors which determine salary even within the same industry. Here are the 10 most common criteria:

1) Location (local, outstation, overseas, remote regions, conflict zones, office based, site based, etc)
2) Work scope and responsibilities
3) Working hours / number of working days
4) Authority limits
5) Size of downline staff team / direct reports (management positions)
6) Travel requirements
7) Job coverage area (local, regional, international, etc)
8) Experience record
9) Records of achievements / results (management positions, financial, etc)
10) Professional certifications / memberships in recognised professional bodies

There are also other criterias which may be taken into consideration according to the company's needs.

Depends on the field of work. Most fresh grads who go into consulting dont earn much.

It depends on the type & size of project he is working on. Also depends on the size of company. No general rule to salaries in construction.