5 myths or stereotypes about working in the Public Sector vs Private Sector

This is part 2 of a ‘career advice’ series I wrote, due to the frequency of such queries I receive through email. Part 1 was ‘Career Prospects for Psychology Graduates’, and you can read it here.

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A frequent question I receive is ‘so do I apply for public sector or private sector? Which is better?’. There is no simple answer to this, but I’ve heard many myths/stereotypes. My hope is that this post provide some extra information, and helps you make an enlightened decision in your career selection!

STEREOTYPE / MYTH: There is better work-life balance in public sector.

shameless stock image

This is one of the most commonly cited ‘advantages’ of public sector, but it’s not always true. While the Government does have family-friendly practices (e.g. telecommuting, blue skies Friday, etc), it is not uncommon to hear of people in the Public Service regularly working OT or even working weekends (usually more common in policy work).

I’ve also heard of many private sector firms (usually MNCs) with very good family-friendly practices, such as telecommuting, extra paternity leave, and so on. I know of people personally in the private sector who end work promptly at 530 or 6pm every day, and civil servants who are still checking emails at midnight.

TRUTH: Ultimately, it is the organisation and department that you are in that will determine your work-life culture, so if that is something that matters to you, do ask about it during the interview.

STEREOTYPE / MYTH: Public sector is more stable than private sector

There is some truth in this, as being fired / retrenched is almost unheard of in the Public Service (there is a long and slow process to even get rid of ‘underperformers’ such that line managers may feel a strong inertia to do so; sudden exits usually only happen due to disciplinary cases).

That said, it is not like the private sector is some super volatile Bitcoin-like ticking time bomb. There are large, stable MNCs where you can generally feel quite secure in. When organisations pivot in their business foci, they would try to relocate/move employees rather than retrench/fire them, as recruitment is a huge cost (unless downsizing is a priority). Of course, we will not discuss the obvious like instability of start-ups.

TRUTH: Don’t let fear of volatility keep you away from the private sector, especially if you’re aiming for a larger MNC or a relatively future-proof area.

STEREOTYPE / MYTH: There is more politics in private sector than public sector

Guy on the right looks ready to jujitsu the other guy though.

I have heard of scary backstabbing tales in banks, where veiled insults and behind-the-back snide comments are synonymous with daily work. However, I have also heard of passive aggressive clique-ish behaviour in the public sector. Even the milder form of politics – playing the job hierarchy – is prevalent in the Public Service, especially in uniformed organisations.

TRUTH: Where there are humans, there will be politics. Some industries may be slightly more notorious than others for having politics, and this is not restricted to the private sector, so do your research beforehand.

STEREOTYPE / MYTH: Progression is always slower in the public sector

If you read any salary.sg forums, you will see the typical cynical keyboard warriors parrot the idea that private sector is better because the sky’s the limit! You can progress as fast as you wish! Your pay will leapfrog your peers!

Well, progression is more structured and laid out in the Public Service. In the private sector, there will be industries/companies that reward high performers well, and progress can be fast. Conversely, progress can be absolutely stagnant in private if you don’t meet KPIs. Worse still, if you don’t get the right people to like you, you may not even get to progress at all!

TRUTH: Progression is not guaranteed in either sector. If you are truly good, do the right things, and get lucky, reward will come. That said, an equally good performer may indeed progress faster and pull a higher salary in the private sector than the public sector. Of course, that comes with the corresponding extra responsibilities and work stress.

STEREOTYPE / MYTH: There is more bureaucracy in public sector.

Is 'triplicate' even a word?

Everyone knows the government has red tape. A piece of work can go through 2-5 hands before being completed, and the end product may look nothing like the original draft. Procurement (buying something) can take months.

But is the private sector entirely free of this? I’ve heard of MNCs who also have many layers of approval for things, so it’s not like they are free of bureaucracy. That said, my observation is that the government definitely has more processes in place to ensure accountability, and this may turn off some people.

TRUTH: Private sector firms may grant more freedom and autonomy in your day to day work, though they will still have their reporting structures. Public sector agencies tend to have established processes to follow that can make things seem bureaucratic and deter some, but the structure may appeal to others too. I would say in general, this statement tends to be true more often than not.

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Have any more questions about the public vs private sector distinction? Want to discuss anything in general? Feel free to drop me an email at atqhteo[at]gmail[dot]com

What career prospects does a Psychology Graduate have?

I’ve been receiving quite a few emails from psych undergraduates (or even those from other majors) asking for career advice. Hence, I’m going to write a two-part post (originally planned as one but the first one got pretty long) that is more career-oriented. 

This first part is a general guide on how to decide on your career path as a psychology graduate, with some ideas of actual jobs that psychology graduates are in at the end. The second part discusses the Public vs Private sector distinction.

Part 1: Career Prospects for Psychology Graduates

Alright, so you've graduated after 4 hard years of memorising psych theories and frameworks. What now? One question I'm asked often is:

‘What career prospects do you think a psychology major has?’

The simple answer to this is ‘plenty’. The longer answer…. Well, read on.

1) Do you want to do something psychology-related?

If yes, go to 1a. If no, skip this section and go to question 2.

Don’t feel bad if the answer is no – for me, the answer was no too, hence I ended up doing policy work for MINDEF instead.

1a) Do you like research?

If no, go to 1b. If yes, there is an obvious path in academia, where you pursue a Masters > PhD en route to becoming a university professor.

However, some points to note:

-          Competition will be stiff. Each university only has that many Masters / PhD spaces, and you will have to scout for Professors with similar interests as you, and get them to accept you. This may involve networking (e.g. through conferences) prior to graduation, or even after.

-          The application process is not easy. You may get rejected countless number of times. You need to be resilient.

-          There is a high chance you will need to go overseas for your studies.

-          If you do your Masters / PhD locally, there is a good chance you will not get to work locally, as I heard they like people from overseas. (this is hearsay, so don’t take my word for it)

-          Even if you do your Masters / PHD overseas, if you are not from a good university, you may not be considered in the local unis. (again, hearsay)

-          You need to go be good at managing your time, as there are no fixed schedules.

1b) Are you sure you don’t like research?

Even if you work in a more applied field, chances are that you will need to do some amount of research. Two of the biggest local employers of ‘Psychologists’ are MINDEF, and the Home Team – think SPF, SCDF, SPS, HTA, ICA (you can Google these acronyms). If you end up working in these agencies, your job may entail some amount of I/O / Clinical work, but of course it depends on the context and the specific position. Regardless, you will need to do research projects, which can be quite challenging especially if you are already tied up with day-to-day work. Do also note that while these positions currently require only a Degree, there is a push to need Master’s as a basic requirement to be called a ‘Psychologist’ in Singapore. Regardless, you will eventually need to complete a Master’s degree to progress further in these agencies.

An alternative would be clinical work. This could mean a therapist of some sort (e.g. speech therapist; though most of these would likely require a Master’s), social services (e.g. counsellor, child protection officer, etc)… EVEN THEN, I would think you need to do research to stay current in the latest techniques, etc.

A final option I can think of is I/O Psychology work, perhaps for a private MNC or something (I don’t think smaller firms will actually hire a I/O Psychologist). This usually requires Master’s though, if I’m not mistaken. Again, reading up on current practices is probably a necessity.

2) I don’t want to do anything directly psych-related!

That is fine, your options are plenty – you can apply for any area that only requires a general degree (think of those job ads where they list like a dozen majors). It will then come down to your own personal interest, and you can approach this from two angles, industry-wise (2a) or function-wise (2b)

2a) Industry-wise

Which industry do you have an interest in? E.g. Healthcare? Sports? FMCG? E-commerce? Tech? If you have a strong interest in any particular industry, it can help narrow down your search to companies in these industries. 

For example, there was a period where I had an interest in the gaming industry, and I applied for all the gaming companies I knew, such as Asiasoft, Ubisoft, etc (and got into Garena), from roles such as marketing to operations. Someone I know was interested in healthcare, so she applied to hospitals, MOH, GLCs, etc. You can try to talk to people in the industry which you are interested in to better understand it and the prospects within the industry. You may change your mind after knowing more. Who knows?

2b) Function-wise

Perhaps you have an idea of what job function you want to try. HR? Communications? Marketing? Business development? Advertising? Do know that even within each function, there is a lot of depth to explore? 

For instance, HR could entail Recruitment/Talent Acquisition, HR Administration, Learning & Development, Performance Management. Marketing could be B2B or B2C marketing (very very different). Communications could be PR, internal communications, marketing communications, etc. Advertising could be in an agency or in-house (again, very very different).

Again, it is useful to talk to people in the relevant functions to understand what work is like. Do know that there is no one-size-fits-all answer; work culture is very dynamic and can vary across companies or even across departments within the same company. For example, marketing in Changi Airport Group could mean frequent trips overseas and different time-zone conference calls; marketing in a small local firm could mean sitting in a small cubicle all day taking out newspaper ads, optimising Facebook/Google ads, focusing on SEO etc.

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To sum it up, I will list out some of the actual jobs my Psychology batch-mates are currently in. As you will see, it can get quite diverse. Maybe it will inspire you as to what job you want to try for. As always, if you have any further questions, or just want to continue a conversation, you can drop me an email at atqhteo [at] gmail [dot] com. I reply to all emails, no matter how small the question. Good luck in your job hunt!

Academia (currently pursuing PhD in Canada/Overseas)

Psychologist (SPS, SPF, MINDEF, SCDF, ICA, HTA, MINDS)

Behavioural Insights Team (MEWR)

Policy work (MINDEF, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Manpower)

Speech Therapy (requires Master’s!)

Education (MOE, Special Needs Teachers)

HR (CPIB, MINDEF, PSD, Singhealth, Mercer, Johnston & Johnson, Danone)

Marketing Consultancy (Bain)

Operations / Business Development (Amazon)

Enforcement (Singapore Customs; SPF)

Customer Relations / Case Management (HDB)

Real Estate (Propnex)

Social Services (MSF, VWOs)

Admin Officer / Cabin Crew (SIA)

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Want to read part 2 about '5 Myths/Stereotypes about working in Public Sector vs Private Sector'? Click here!

Another visit to Orchard Health Clinic!

I previously visited Orchard Health Clinic for a wrist issue and wrote 2 blog posts about it (part 1 / part 2), in 2016.

As some of you may know, I suffered a knee injury in November last year, and I still have knee pain now despite consultations with a physiotherapist & chiropractor. As fate would have it, I received an invitation from Orchard Health Clinic (OHC) to go down for a session! Talk about great timing!

If you want to know what a session with an osteopath is like, this post is for you! You also check out my previous posts linked above.

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OHC used to be at Park Mall and Bukit Timah, but I understand they have merged and now have a considerably larger office at Faber House (opposite 313@Somerset) (my previous visit was to the Park Mall branch). There are 6 treatment rooms now, and they seemed pretty busy when I arrived at 3PM for my appointment.

My osteopath for the day was Daniele, a handsome Italian man haha.

The session began with me sharing about my knee problem, and he asked fairly routine questions to understand the issue. Nothing different from other medical professionals here.

Then came the physical examination. I have seen a physio, a chiro, and a GP, but I feel that osteopaths (or at least those at OHC) excel at one thing that the rest don't do - identifying skeletal imbalances through visual inspection, and also explaining and showing you what these are and why they may cause the symptoms. Similar to my previous experience with my wrist, they look at the 'full-body connection', as imbalances somewhere may lead to pain elsewhere.

Daniele explained that knee issues are often not a direct issue at the knee, but are a 'victim' of imbalances elsewhere such as at the hip and the ankle. He pointed out a slight hip imbalance I had, as well as my tendency to internally rotate my hips while externally rotating my knee when performing squats/lunges.

He also used a knee model to explain what he suspected was happening - while my femur turned a certain way, my patella (knee cap) doesn't always follow due to tightness/weakness elsewhere, and this results in friction since the patella/femur are misaligned, and this could result in inflammation.

My 100% accurate medical drawing

Treatment for me was some deep tissue release of my glutes, hamstrings, lower back, calves. He also worked on my ankles a bit to improve their dorsal/plantar flexion (or in English, the extent to which I can point my toes up or down). Some pics of the session:

A lot of hip work

Love the deep tissue release! 

He said I had good hip flexibility! hence he could rotate my leg like that without any pain.

He also did some ultrasound thingy on my left knee, which was supposed to clear up any inflammation. The idea is that ultrasound waves help to stimulate blood flow, which can help to reduce swelling and inflammation! 

He rounded up the treatment with some simple spinal adjustment (cracking!). Slightly uncomfortable, but felt ok after it was done. He will ask if you are ok with it, so if you are not, just say no la.

To end the session, he prescribed a hip strengthening exercise, which was meant to help me minimize and correct the internal rotation of my hips (basically the 'naughty girl' / hip abduction machine), and a hip flexor stretch.

So you may be reading all this with one main question in mind - should you go to OHC for a session? I will give you 3 points to consider.

1) For all 3 visits to OHC, I've always been impressed with how meticulous the osteopaths are in explaining my issue(s) to me. They use actual anatomical terms, but also codeswitch to 'layman' terms often to make sure I can understand them. If you want to gain a better appreciation for how the different joints/muscles/tendons in your body works in tandem, OHC is definitely beneficial.

2) The osteopaths are skilled and good with their hands. If you read my previous 2 posts, you will know that my osteopath was super strong and handled me as if I weighed nothing, but I never once felt any pain and all movements were clearly highly controlled. This time round, Daniele was similarly skillful in manipulating my limbs, and I felt very comfortable despite the various deep stretches and movements he put my limbs through.

3) Most importantly, is the treatment effective? Well, it's too early for me to say now for my knee issue, though it does feel slightly better (placebo or otherwise). And for my wrist pain previously... let's just say I don't have anymore wrist pain now (though admittedly it could be a combination of the treatment and my improvement of form for my weightlifting exercises). 

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If you want to book a session with OHC, you can do so at their website, or call their hotline at 6336 9577. You can quote my name (Alan) for a 20% discount if you are a first-time customer! 

Orchard Health Clinic

230 Orchard Road

#04-232 Faber House

S238854

Feel free to email me if you have any questions about OHC!