Life after ORD

Learning — By 88DB Knowledge on November 21, 2011 1:41 pm

Feeling lost after your 2 long years of National Service?

Or are you planning for your life after? Know your options before you make your choice!

You’ve looked forward to your Operationally-Ready-Date for so long but what now?

Do you want to further your studies? Do you want to start working?

Preparing to further your education?

There are a variety of reasons why you might choose to undergo further study.

Perhaps you enjoy a subject and want to study it at the next level, or maybe you want to increase your competitive advantage and improve your career prospects.

Some students continue their studies also because they simply aren’t sure what to do next and enroll in a course to give them more time to decide.

Remember though that furthering your education can be expensive, so you need to be sure that the course you choose will be worth the financial investment.

Plan ahead; check the date of commencement for the course you selected.

You might consider enrolling for a course a year in advance to ensure a place.

As the date to commencement nears, vacancies will decrease and you might not be able to enroll in your preferred course.

Working after ORD

Serving your National Service (NS) provides you with a great base of experience and you might decide that it’s worth it to immediately pursue your career.

Be aware though that working environments differ from organization to organization.

What worked for you in the Army might not have the same results in the corporate world.

Polytechnic graduates who started work after their NS earned an average of S$312 more a month than fresh graduates. (Data from Ministry of Manpower Singapore)

Before looking for jobs, make sure that your references and educational certifications are current.

You could attend a brief refresher course to prepare yourself for your career.

In the Information Technology industry for example, it is important to stay current.

Work and Study

If you wish to pursue further education but are unable to because of financial issues, part-time study might be a viable option for you.

Private educational institutions in Singapore offer a wide variety of courses that can be completed through part-time studies.

With a majority of these part-time courses conducting lessons in the evenings or after office hours, you can use the extra time to take on part-time or even full-time work.

When selecting a part-time course, ensure that the school you are applying for has support for part-time students to help them manage their work and other commitments.

The school should have flexibility in terms of attendance and resources.

For example, as a part-time student at MDIS, you will be required to attend 80% of the lessons conducted, allowing for disruptions that might occur as a result of work commitments.

Part-time study is also a great option for those with bigger money worries.

Some schools allow for the payment of course fees at the start of each semester, meaning that part-time students can plan their work commitments in advance to ensure they are able to make payments for their education.

Be realistic though, even studied part-time, graduate or post-graduate courses can be intensive and it can be difficult to balance between study, work and relaxation.

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