Something we've always wanted to ask our members. Which is more rewarding in your opinion -- a career in a private company or one in the government? Or perhaps you like the idea of venturing into entrepreneurship better? We're attempting to read the trend in the jobs market yet again, with our members of vast backgrounds and experiences as models. If you haven't submitted your vote yet, do so now. We need your help on this.
So are you a part of the majority, supporting the private side or the other way around? Did we surprise you? We think we've summarised the results of the survey so far with that question very well.
The private sector is winning by a landslide; we're not surprised with this outcome, really. Everyone seems to think that jobs in private companies are better, for reasons ranging from salary hikes to training opportunities. JobsDB.com Singapore, of course, recognises these reasons. But it's not like private careers are all-advantages. Similarly, just because government jobs aren't getting enough support so far doesn't mean they're not advisable paths to pursue. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of this write up is to inform you about these bits of pros and cons so that you can make a good decision should you find yourself pondering on this sometime in the future.
The biggest advantage in choosing to pursue a career in government is stability -- something with little threat of job loss. These are the jobs you can expect to stand strong even when everything, including those items from top companies, are falling down. However, public service jobs aren't for you if you're kind of in a hurry to reach the top. In the grand scheme of things, commitment is wait's needed to succeed in the public sector -- satisfactory salaries and less challenging tasks aside, you're expected to give all you've got to keep the country running. But of course, the government is continuous in making public careers as outstanding as their private counterparts -- news bits about subsidised training schemes and salary increase are being published in periodicals every now and then. You should know.
We've already interviewed many public sector officials for Industry Focus and we're speaking from the impressions we've got from them. "A career in the SPF means more than just a job. It reflects a person's commitment to the community. This is what motivated me to join the SPF" to quote Traffic Police Officer Alvin Teo. "While the work can be challenging, it has certainly been very meaningful and rewarding. Every little positive contribution each day towards enhancing the lives of the people around me has been a day of work well-spent", Captain Anthony Toh of Singapore Civil Defence Force, has described to us his satisfaction as a public servant.
They are at the top when it comes to career advancement -- we understand why many prefer private careers over public ones. Better salary, training opportunities, company benefits, and career choices are the biggest benefits of working as a professional in this sector, a lot of people argue. However, the danger here is that the possibility of getting laid off is higher. You'll need tremendous effort to be able to thrive prosperously in this sector (the reason why this blog's filled with articles on job satisfaction, career change, news reports, etc in the first place). We suggest you keep in touch with the news always and research about career building so you can secure your post better. We're encouraging you to bookmark this blog too to get updated.
Government professionals are greatly outnumbered on Industry Focus, to put it bluntly. If you're in for a private career, you have tons to get motivation from back at www.jobsdb.com.sg/Singapore then. Allow us to quote Philip Lim, Managing Director & Head - DBS Franchise & DBS Strategy (Consumer Banking) as his' is the best: "Like any other job, you must have an interest in it in order to do well. One shouldn’t be scared of rejection for it is part and parcel of life."
Don't get the idea we're leaving off our third option in this write up. We've said it last week on this blog, in our feature for Successful Entrepreneur Awards 2010 winner Charles Chen -- that we're fans of entrepreneurship. Our advise for those of you who are siding with the third option? Charles has given us five easy pointers and they're worth mentioning here: KEEP ON LEARNING, KEEP AN OPEN MIND, BE WILLING TO TRY NEW THINGS, DON"T BE AFRAID OF HARDHIPS, and CULTIVATE A KEEN SENSE OF FORESIGHT.
Interested to read more about Alvin, Anthony, Philip, and Charles? Here are our full interviews with them:
The Singapore Police Force - Traffic Police
The Life Saving Force - Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
Banking With A Passion
A Hunger For Success
JobsDB.com Singapore
Singapore's finest resource for jobs
http://www.jobsdb.com.sg/Singapore
JobsDB.com Singapore is committed to helping every job seeker land a good job. Currently looking for a job? Browse our jobs database and see if anything is of interest to you. It doesn't matter what industry you're in -- our jobs portal caters to every industry there is in Singapore, from Accounting Jobs and Banking Jobs in Singapore to IT Jobs and Singapore Hospitality Jobs. Let us lead your way to rewarding jobs in Singapore, jump start you career with us.
For career tips, we recommend Career Advice. From job hunting tips to career development guidelines, get advice from experts @ www.jobsdb.com.sg/SG/en/Resources/JobSeekerIndex.
