Hi I’m graduating next year. Expecting a honours distinction (engineering degree). Is it a good idea to sign on with SAF or should I try it out in the private sector?
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I’ve looked through and signing on offers pretty competitive salaries. In my field in the private sector, my pay will lag behind at least for the first few years.
I was an officer during NS and while I am not that passionate about the military, I think I can do a reasonably well job. The most important thing to me is job stability as i just want to settle comfortably into a job when I find a suitable one. Having a reasonable pay would be the second criteria.
But I don’t know if I would be missing out on anything if I were to sign on as my first job.
Can anyone advise me?
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Here are what netizens think:
- Sign on loh. Then maybe your rank cap at Major without scholarship. Very stable career. Just need to wayang and step on the men to get promoted. If you get high enough rank then after 45 you can get good positions in public sector where you can get paid well to be bean counter. If you go private sector you have to be much more capable than in public sector.
- Saf is the best employer. Aside from salary, they give you free clothes to wear (no.4 and even pt kit), free shoes, free meals within campus, free medical, and even a free gym with swimming pool for some camp, and a bunk. 包吃包住 but there is a huge trade off, hence the good pay and benefits.
- Assuming you want to stay with the civil service if you go through the SAF route, it’s worth going through the military and transferring into a similar role after retirement from the SAF.
- Don’t sign on for the wrong reasons. Being an officer doesn’t not justify anything especially when you have mentioned you are not passionate about the military/job. The last thing we really need is for NSFs and others to look at you and conclude that the organisation is full of people like you… we really need more people who believe in serving and protecting the country to sign on.. and you are denying others who really wish to serve the country of a job .. But yeah.. many people will say .. it’s already happening. Don’t make it worse and perpetuate the mistake.
- Don’t join saf unless you are a safos scholar . You will never reach brigadier general rank and you will not be able to transfer to stat board /GLC as CEO after discharge from saf. Most importantly , do something useful with your life , don’t end up like paper generals – cannot fight wars, no useful skills, don’t command any respect from society.
- Sign on at your kind of qualifications is good. Better if you were a scholar. Just don’t henta kaki some rank. What is your CEP rank? If colonel and above why not?