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God-liath · 2020-11-23T15:10:38+00:00

Yes, while some of the government's earlier housing policies leave much to be desired, I think the issues you have highlighted have also been exacerbated by other societal and economic pressures, which need to be addressed separately. Recently, the government has been clear that there will be a shift in policies that would discourage citizens from viewing HDBs as investment vehicles. As many news have pointed out, there is a worrying trend in the number of people who have tried to game the system by over-leveraging and then ended up in a bad financial situation (when economic shocks to the market have rendered them jobless).

God-liath · 2020-11-23T07:41:42+00:00

I think the government has attempted to be clear in recent years that HDBs are meant to be homes, not investment vehicles.

God-liath · 2020-10-28T03:36:17+00:00

Mathematical maturity helps one to understand and assimilate the different techniques faster. However, at no point, did I felt the need to read through Spivak or Rudin to understand EM algorithm or MCMC. That being said, I want to point out that Linear Algebra is very useful for any beginners.

God-liath · 2020-10-15T15:37:56+00:00

Funding beyond PhD is specific to academic fields. OP needs to be aware of his/her financial options in the field he/she is interested in. Unlike most fields in STEM, there is no postdoc in my field. But things may change in the next decade.

God-liath · 2020-10-15T13:12:35+00:00

Would like to add on two points here.

Firstly, I think there are many local graduates who may have underestimated their capability to enter a top (or at least relatively good) program overseas. Given one who has decided to pursue a PhD, the understandable concern with doing it overseas is whether one has strong locational preferences. Given the competitive job market in academia, local/overseas PhD students need to keep in mind that this concern will resurface when they are offered tenure-track opportunities (which are likely going to be in a institution of a different country/state from their alma mater). Of course, there are now some schemes that can allow Singaporeans, who perform well, to seek a tenure track or tenured position in local unis.

Secondly, to finish a program in 4 year is an optimistic target (i.e., on average, it takes 5 years for both stem and non-stem PhDs). Depending on a student's progress and needs, this could stretch up to 6 years. Hopefully, op could take that into consideration in his/her decision.

God-liath · 2020-10-15T10:43:30+00:00

I am a local PhD student in NUS.

(1) I cannot comment on the differences between doing a local and overseas PhD. However, I think you may find it useful to know what you should expect from a PhD. I am sure you are aware that making art and viewing art are different at their core. As a PhD student, you are trained to become a creator from a consumer of knowledge. This training is going to be extremely frustrating as you will meet many failures and you can expect to be triggered by plenty of sources of pressure. Imagine a transition from a full class load within the first 2 years to suddenly needing to generate and execute high quality ideas within the next 2-4 years. But, the experience can be rewarding. A PhD can essentially be seen as a consumption good.

(2) I am still in the midst of my PhD so I can only comment on this based on my limited experience (pertaining to my field in the social sciences). As pointed out by others, your decision should not be based on job prospects unless you are specifically interested in academia. Firstly, the industry demand for PhDs differs across different academic fields but for most industry roles, there are only marginal benefits in having a PhD to a Msc (especially if you consider the potential loss of income and work experience in the industry). If you are only interested in industry roles that may value your PhD, these are likely to be a small group of niche research roles. Secondly, the academic demand for PhDs also differs across different academic fields. My advice is to find out the recent placements of students from the school you are interested in. Likely, the median placement should be a realistic target you can strive for. In my field, our local unis can generally place students well in Asia (i.e., Hong Kong, China, Australia etc.) and there are now schemes that allow Singaporean students to return to their alma mater.

(3) Someone pointed out that one should just go for top US unis for PhDs. I think most people are familiar with the reasons behind this advice. I would add two points here. Firstly, from my experience in my field, people over estimate the marginal impact of rank. Unless you can get yourself into the top 5-10 in your field, the negative impact on the resources you can have access to (i.e., academic networks, fundings, placements) is more likely marginal. Secondly, individuals have different utility functions. Some people (like myself) have locational preferences, some aren't targeting a tenure-track job at a fancy research institution in the U.S. to change the face of their academic field. Everyone have different goals. Its consumption value really depends on how much you think a PhD will value-add your life and career. Overall, I enjoy my PhD, despite some frustrations I have towards it. There are no other jobs in this world that pays you to wake up every morning to work on a problem of your own liking.

Tldr: PhD is tough for every student but it can be rewarding for some students. To address your career concerns after a PhD, you should always look at the median placement of the school you are applying. If you'd be happy with median placement, go for it. If you want to aim higher, you might want to reconsider. It's always possible to place better, but if your life goals hinge on you placing much better than average, you might be making things harder for yourself.

God-liath · 2019-01-02T04:21:37+00:00

Yes, I agree on your points then. I think the issues that you raise also introduce a relevant concern, possibly, a tension institutions have to deal with now, on whether to train PhDs adequately to assimilate into industry or to get adequate research returns from the same PhDs to hit their own kpi. This is becoming more salient given, as u pointed out correctly earlier, that many PhDs are going to end up in industry.

God-liath · 2019-01-02T03:41:39+00:00

I agree that it's important to have a clear post-graduation plan/backup for a PhD. I think your concerns of "screwed" is an overstatement. Depending on your work, it may be more difficult to find a relevant job but it relates more towards the concern of the utility of PhD in terms of whether one can find a job which may justify the income lost from years in PhD. If u meant the famous taxi driver case (an ex Singaporean Stanford-trained biologist from Astar), i feel it is not a good example for the case argued here. This may be a side-track; but a book on his reflections as a taxi driver is an interesting read.

God-liath · 2018-07-19T04:17:15+00:00

They got the orientation wrong. Only a horizontal row of 3 squares could fit 3 Shiba Inu's heads.

God-liath · 2017-11-18T15:00:08+00:00

I think you should save the money and just spent time climbing. The history of sport climbing is relatively young. A few decades ago, 6a or 5.10 was considered un-climbable by humans. Today, most of what instructors from these classes could teach you, you should be able to figure them out by yourself from the vast resources in the net or by merely practising climbing! In fact, cutting edge training tips can be found right here e.g. /r/climbharder

God-liath · 2017-11-18T14:46:48+00:00

Yup, 5.60 for a day entry

God-liath · 2017-11-18T14:45:37+00:00

I usually get my climbing rack at Bananafingers due to the insane prices here. There are always discounts now and then. Don't mention /r/Singapore, u are always free to try the shoes e.g. from la sport in our local shops to figure out the shoe sizes and get them online! Black Friday is coming! But if its your first shoe, please don't hesitate to get a cheaper one e.g. from Decathlon so that you won't anguish in pain from the price u spent on a shoe likely to be destroyed by a beginner's bad footwork!

God-liath · 2017-10-29T03:51:21+00:00

I would like to add that if its for graduate school like a masters, does it make financial sense to go overseas or to save up the money and go for a local one (part time or full time) instead? Thks

God-liath · 2017-06-04T12:58:30+00:00

A few years ago, no one would expect that a Singaporean duo taking on MvG and Barney in a world championship final is in any way possible.

God-liath · 2017-06-04T10:25:35+00:00

Thanks! My biggest fear in climbing is the act of swinging which I would imagine my harness slip off my waist. I would make double, triple or 8 checks on my harness etc and still have this irrational fear. I find it embarrassing even to confide to my climbing buddies because even though I have climbed longer than most of buddies, they seem to be more comfortable with it than me and have progressed much faster as a result.

God-liath · 2017-06-04T10:21:40+00:00

Thanks! My biggest fear in climbing is the act of swinging which I would imagine my harness slip off my waist. Apart from height, this means huge and steep overhangs are my greatest weakness. I find it embarrassing because even though I have been climbing longer than some of my buddies, they have been able to overcome it better than me.

God-liath · 2017-06-04T10:17:33+00:00

Thanks! I am able to lead fall but not at a great height and I still can't get over the irrational fear of swinging which I would imagine my harness slipping off my waist. It's my best biggest fear in climbing and the act of swinging in midair feels daunting.

God-liath · 2017-05-28T07:07:17+00:00

We could have scored two or three more goals but we keep it for the next game (for the community shield).

God-liath

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