Need advice; should I take private diploma?

Cruv SG

Hey guys,

Currently in Sec 4 N/A this year. Today heard my friends saying about private poly stuff and such.. Then I suddenly interested.

Because let's say, if I passed my N's and went on to O's, aft that I get into Poly, when I'm out I would be 20 years old.

But if I were to go to private poly, I will be able to go to next year, skipping my O's, and moreover it's only 1 year++ (depending on course, I plan to take IT related, more on network security.) So I'll be around 17++ when I get my diploma.

So any opinions guys? Should I cont. my O's or just go into a private poly? What are the disadvantages? I heard I can't go into gov. uni, like NUS/NTU. Other than that, what are main disadvantages? I also heard that employers would rather hire a private diploma than a local one. Is it both true?

Also guys, can some of you list out what are the best private polys that has IT related courses and the estimated price? TIA!

gunner77 SG

Ask yourself

If you are a boss, who will you hire?

Ppl from government poly or private poly.

Lokey SG

Private poly is more costly. it is less recognized as the educational institute need to submit the course details to MOE for verification. And many did not do so taking shortcut.

Informatics is a good choice to start for IT related.

And in fact, the private diploma and degree stuff is more for the elites. As they are squeezing the stuff from 3 years to 1 plus. It is not that you study less than other poly. You have to work even harder than the rest for compress work.

I suggest you take things slow (since you are N level guy). Else you will kill yourself on the road, when you are taking like 12 subjects while others is taking 6 for the same semester.

zoragirl SG

You should continue your O Level, at least you have and O Level cert to fall back on should you decide not to continue your private diploma(not to curse you)

If you want to, you can be like my friend, he took his O Level and Private diploma in IT together.

When he went to NS, he took the Degree.

Before he complete his NS, he secure a job outside.

Now he is doing well.

Rock^Star SG

i think those who make it with a private dip are few and far in between. Singapore has a new poly in recent years. There are more than 20,000 of poly grads every year. What's more, we have cheaper but educated foreigners. The labour market has a huge supply of new grads every year and naturally, salaries are depressed.

Fresh poly grad pay ten years ago is $1500/mth on average. Today, it hasn't changed much.

Your best bet is to focus on your n, then o levels, enter a JC, then a local uni. Or if not, drop out altogether and start planning a business venture. Many businessmen out there are uneducated but they have a business acumen never taugh in our textbooks.

Fenixx SG

Do/ Don't do depends on what your longer- term goals are, not how old you'd be by the time you graduate from this or that course...........

Xcert SG

I suggest U stay in school and do your O's.

I have never heard of employers would rather hire a private diploma than a local one...in fact...private diploma's pay is lower than the local poly's one...assuming similar grades and field of study...think about it...$100 difference per month is about $1200 a year...excluding bonus....$200 difference is about 2400 per year...

Local uni wouldnt take private diplomas....poly grads they also must choose liao...private diploma can forget about it.

There are tons of schools around offering private diplomas....Informatics...TMC...etc....End of the day...they are commercial companies looking at profit...not ur education....expensive....and quality of lecturers varies...greatly.From my experience...cannot make it lar...

Personally I feel that the value of a private diploma is not as a basic diploma....its for those already with diplomas....say...Diploma in Business from a poly...to take a 2nd diploma...say...Diploma in IT....since its not cost/time-effective for the learner to go back to poly for the 2nd diploma...

Lokey SG

there is nothing good or bad about private dipolma. Basically they have cut the common modules (basic science and math), industrial attachment and perhaps FYP also so it become shorter.

likeyou SG

How come got Sec 4 N/A? What is N/A?

I thought only Express (4 yrs) or Normal stream (5 yrs)??

ivertan00 SG

I myself is taking private diploma, i therefore have to agree that private diploma has its Pros & Cons.

Howver it is what you want to do in life, if u have a goal/aim in mind, go ahead, if you are taking the diploma for the sake of just shortening the time-frame for studying, i rather you go into a local Diploma.

I myself registered for a private diploma before my O levels, and in fact i could easily go to JC and poly with my score, however i still chose to go private.

Thats because i am into accounting and the course i am taking will shorten the track and aid me in my professional accounting certificate ACCA which is recognised worldwide.

And faster also means more work to do and more things to learn within a shoter time.

measure your options before making a concrete decision my friend.

x4dish SG

if its too good to be true, it probably is... if a private diploma is so easy to get, whats the value in gov polys?

thing is, people work so hard for their o levels just to get into a gd course in poly... if you can get an equal cert with only n levels, what is the value of the o lvs then?

trust me, if you really wanna go into the it field, study hard, try to go to njc.. the computing there is the best. there is no way for a poly to compare with jcs, i was the top student in my school for o levels, i chose to go into poly and it was a fucking big screw up. honestly speaking, if poly is really so great, why the heck would jcs exist? its all marketing my friend...

go get your a levels, get a degree, and work hard and you would have a gd career. sometimes what the old people say still works...

Xcert SG

i was the top student in my school for o levels, i chose to go into poly and it was a fucking big screw up. honestly speaking, if poly is really so great, why the heck would jcs exist? its all marketing my friend...

Different people learn differently....According to U...U screwed up in poly....but that doesnt mean polys are not good....they are just not good for U.There are people who couldnt make it in JC and did very well in poly.

JCs exist simply to serve the needs of a different learning model as compared to polys...There is no better model...just a matter of which one U subscribe more to.