SIM Global Education

A DEGREE opens up career opportunities and gives you the skills needed for jobs.

This is what senior programme analyst Chai Chee Wei (right), 25, felt about his three-year course for Bachelor of Science in Computing and Information Systems, awarded by University of London and examined by Goldsmiths.

He said: "Almost every system in every company needs someone with IT knowledge. With the Government promoting higher education, the competition for jobs is getting stiffer. So it's better to extend your knowledge with a degree."

Mr Chai graduated with first-class honours from the SIM Global Education (SIM GE) last September .

His passion for IT and computers began at the age of 16, when he built his own computer.

He said modestly: "It's not as hard as you think it is. All you have to do is follow the manual and you'll get a cheap computer with the specifications you want."

Students in the programme are given individual projects, which allow for one-on-one sessions with their lecturers.

"You learn to manage your time well in order to meet deadlines and you learn how to work under stress," he pointed out.

"At work, you can't expect your supervisor and colleagues to always be around to help you too, so the programme prepares you for problem-solving on your own."

At the same time, he agreed that someone who is a "lone ranger" would sometimes not be able to complete projects without help.

The programme thus taught him to seek help when he needed it. He said: "With individual projects, you don't much need to interact with your classmates.

"But if you wish to do well in the programme, it's important to make friends and share what you've learnt. This applies in the workplace too."

He also said he is constantly applying the skills he learnt at SIMGE in his job at Singapore Computer System. He was offered the job last August, even before he graduated.

He believed his good grades and relevant degree from a good university helped him secure the job. And it was a bonus when he got first-class honours as well.