Private or Public Sector

[andrewtyr]

I have been mulling over this question since the start of the second last academic semester. Quite interested continuing with engineering but not sure I should prepare for public or private sector employment. Also not sure what I should consider in view of my career start, hope bros here can help out with your experiences.

[BFG]

Private sector. Multi tasking in Public Sector, prepare for that.

[andrewtyr]

Don't quite understand the part on multi-tasking in public sector

[Goondoo]

Don't quite understand the part on multi-tasking in public sector

Whoever pay you better
Unless working for a very very big MNC, you will be multi-tasking everywhere...
Sidenote: I realised public sector have bigger desk space compared to private sector....
I went to a public sector company today and every single engineer have their own cubicle big enough for you to put 3 6x2x2 tank and you can still put a standard size table and your chair in the middle.....

[Justikanz]

Private sector... Because of higher pay, more possiblities (pay rise, bonus, promotion etc) and like what BFG mentioned, more direct job responsibilities...

Public sector will entail capped pay rise, slower promotion, etc... and most importantly, the need to MULTI TASK... You start with 1 job responsibility and you end up with uncountable one by the end of your first job...

sigh...

[vinz]

Public sector jobs are usually more stable. No fears that they will move their operations overseas, and ALMOST ironclad against financial or economic woes. But salaries are generally lower.

Both large private companies and public organisations usually have pretty standard staff benefits and privileges. Of course some private companies are more creative in that aspect, especially the foreign ones.

Try to avoid small private companies. Unless they are really dynamic startups, have good leadership and great potential. If they make it big and you are one of the key players in their success, rewards can come in both promotions and financial (raise, bonus, stock options?). But prepared to work REALLY hard. And there is a risk that they fizzle and die.

Small private companies do not weather financial and economic woes very well at all. HR policies are usually at bare minimum to avoid trouble from MOM. Bonuses and increments are usually thin, until they start to make big bucks. IF they ever get there. Some just chug along... not making enough to reward their staff greatly, not doing badly enough to kill the owner's/founder's drive.

Be wary of old family-run SMEs. They tend to favour their own children over outsiders. But I think this are much less so for young husband-wife type start-ups.

The above are the general "observations". In the end it depends on you. Sometimes joining a small company will give you the oppourtunity to grow faster because you probably have to handle more then one thing. E.g. a programmer in a small company may have to be the webmaster, in-house IT tech support, customer tech support, etc, on top of developing whatever software you were hired for. Whereas a programmer in a large organisation usually get a more definite and narrow role.

Small companies may give you the oppourtunity to climb quickly to the helm and make a name for yourself, before you venture out to bigger better jobs, or get head hunted.

[Fei Miao]

Sidenote: I realised public sector have bigger desk space compared to private sector....
I went to a public sector company today and every single engineer have their own cubicle big enough for you to put 3 6x2x2 tank and you can still put a standard size table and your chair in the middle.....

didn't know that this is a factor

[jacquetlc]

confused me... all along, know that there is only private sector and civil service...

[wasabi8888]

vinz summarized it really well..

I would choose private sector.. big MNC... important to have a good name in your resume so that future jobs are easy as well.

[Justikanz]

Whoever pay you better
Unless working for a very very big MNC, you will be multi-tasking everywhere...

Oh, this I had heard... Some of my friends are already complaining...

Sidenote: I realised public sector have bigger desk space compared to private sector....
I went to a public sector company today and every single engineer have their own cubicle big enough for you to put 3 6x2x2 tank and you can still put a standard size table and your chair in the middle.....

Heh heh... Sometimes true... But public sector has guidelines on maximum cubicle size one hor... Hee... Can be quite big but not THAT big lah... My old cubicle is like a room without one wall and a door...

confused me... all along, know that there is only private sector and civil service...

Jac, Civil Service is only a part of public sector... The public sector includes the statutory (stat) boards, whose employees are not known as civil servants, and national funded institutes, among other government funded companies.

I would choose private sector.. big MNC... important to have a good name in your resume so that future jobs are easy as well.

True... Good to have certain company names appearing in your resume... But then make sure they are relevant and your performance good lah...

[andrewtyr]

Thanks for those insightful information. Not that I am looking for an ideal job, but at least one that my ideals are aligned with the company's. I don't want to end up as an "empty" shell, hence giving really serious thoughts over it. Right now, I am still not very sure of myself or my abilities compared to more talented people out there.

Anyone has any experience of the petrol-chemicals industry? MNCs or small firms, I am hoping of working from small and hopefully get into the big ones.

[valice]

Basically, don't go think too much... Find a job which suits your interest... A job can pay you damn bloody well, but you work like crazy hours (oil traders or auditors) or you can be non-multitasking but doing mundane work everyday, totally killing your brain... Or a job which is challenging, you love the nature but don't pay you so well...

Which will you go... You decision will answer your question...
Also look for a job in a company which after talking to the HR in the first round of interview will give you a feeling that you will want to stay in the company at least for the first 3 years of your working life... Else it is not very pretty on your resume to change your job within the first year or so...

My HR friend dumps resume right into the dustbin beside her if she see candidates who stayed in a previous job for less than 1 year... Those people are ruthless...