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How much a Master’s Degree is worth in Singapore today?

While there is a general consensus that taking a master’s degree in Singapore today may be beneficial in many respects from brighter employment prospects to enhanced cognitive abilities, the true value may be less evident. .A master’s degree isn’t cheap, but there are many ways to find financial help Some might even resort to getting a loan from a moneylender.

Truth be told, evaluating a financial and temporal investment in a master’s degree should be as rigorous, if not more, than an investment in a financial asset. Just like ploughing through a heap of annual reports to pick the best stocks, specifically the most undervalued stocks, selecting the most ideal master’s degree course should spare no less effort.

Contrary to popular belief that it is difficult, if not impossible, to quantify the net monetary gain/loss from pursuing a master’s degree, the diagram below illustrates a rudimentary step-by-step decision-making guide for studious graduates striving to further develop their intellect.

First, explore the roles that are in demand in the job market. Then, answer the next 2 questions. If both answers are “yes”, proceed to conduct extensive research on the possible range of salary increment. At the end of the evaluation process, it is likely that you would obtain a better idea of the “payback period” which you can then deem a master’s degree as a worthy or unworthy investment.

To be rich, you have got to take pleasure in working hard

“My formula for success is rise early, work late and strike oil” by Jean Paul Getty, the world’s richest man who amassed billions from oil according to the Fortune magazine in 1957. This is no secret. Hard work always comes before success in many respects.

In the engineering sphere

Image credit: www.telegraph.co.uk

Sakichi Toyoda, the founding father of Toyota, took a protracted period of 23 years to perfect the non-stop shuttle change automatic loom, Type G in 1924. It incorporated numerous automatic, protective, and safety devices based on Toyota’s legion of earlier inventions and underwent rigorous and uncompromising commercial testing to deliver unparalleled performance in the textile industry worldwide. The patent was eventually sold to a British leading innovation company, Platt Brothers & Co for a whopping £100,000 in 1929. This unpremeditated development had set the cornerstone for Toyota’s industrial and technological achievements we witness today.

His eldest son, Kiichiro Toyoda subsequently took the plunge into the automobile business and never looked back since. Presently, Toyota is crowned the world’s top-selling automaker for a third consecutive year. Ultimately, success is often more easily built on prior successes as the acquired funds and a prudent risk-bearing attitude would allow one to navigate the treacherous waters more cautiously and readily exploit the illuminated opportunities. Nonetheless, to bag the first success, working assiduously is never an option but a priority.

In the world of science and technology

Image credit: www.quoteinvestigator.com

Thomas Edison, the reputable American inventor, drew leading scientists and outstanding engineers from all over the world to his Menlo Park research centre to advance scientific and technological developments. The tight collaboration and painstaking efforts undertaken by the brilliant minds from diverse fields shed powerful insights and revolutionary ideas that culminated in a series of inventions indispensable to our daily lives. Essentially, the invention of the incandescent light bulb was a fruit ripe with both industriousness and dynamic teamwork. Currently, General Electric – established by Edison in 1890 – is a colossal conglomerate worth more than one quarter of a trillion as of May 2015.

While some people may be flush with cash by a stroke of luck or by birthright, most people shore up their wealth through enduring hard work and unmitigated perseverance.

Why It Is Essential To Surround Yourself With Financially Savvy Friends

As the Mexican Proverb once said: “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are.”

It is no secret that your friends influence your life in one-way or the other. This influence can either be small such as picking an outfit to work or huge such as choosing which bank to invest on. Either way, being surround by financially responsible friends is always a good idea.

Here are the reasons why:

1. THEY CAN TELL YOU WHEN TO STOP

When you are trying to eliminate an unhealthy habit such as overspending, you must first recognize that the problem exists. Financially savvy friends who care deeply about you can tell you when your spending goes overboard. Because sometimes, all it takes is a little nudging from your friends. Having a friend who will make you realize that you have a problem can make you think harder about your spending weaknesses.

2. THEY CAN STEER YOU TO BETTER FINANCIAL DECISIONS

The time spent with peers increases as the child ages. As the time increases, the power of peer pressure tends to increase as well. Using peer pressure to your advantage, you can make friends with people who are thrifty as they lead you to better financial decisions. For instance, instead of going to a fancy restaurant, they will opt for having a fun dinner at your place while splitting the expenses for pizzas and beverages.

3. THEY CAN HELP YOU DEAL WITH A FINANCIAL CRISIS

The reality manifests that layoffs, bankruptcies, and closings happen around us. Having friends who understand how important money is can help you deal with these unforeseen financial crises. They can help by listening to your dilemma, by connecting you to the resources of the community, and by the power of small deeds (e.g., cooking food or calling to catch up).

4. THEY CAN HELP YOU GROW

Your friend does not have to be as monetarily wise as Warren Buffet to guide you to better finances. You can be both starting from the bottom as long as you are responsible for each other’s financial growth. Do this by reminding yourselves about the monetary goals you set. And, if you have no financially responsible friends, you can always introduce them to the idea. Start by introducing the basics of budgeting such as knowing the envelope budgeting technique.

Image Credits: Riza Nugraha via Flickr With Creative Commons License

Truly, money matters get easier when you have financially savvy friends to support you along the way! 🙂

4 Ways To Strengthen Your Cybersecurity Without Spending A Cent

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Cybersecurity is defined as the measures taken to protect a computer or a computer system against unauthorized access or attack. Those who gain unauthorized access to the data in the computer or the system are often called as hackers. What is alarming about the breaching is that it may involve taking of personal data or credit card information.

To prevent these from happening, precautions must be set. Start by limiting the amount of personal data you post online then, strengthen your home and business Cybersecurity in 4 ways…

1. TAKE CONTROL OF THE AUTHENTICATION AND PRIVACY SETTINGS

Maximize the use of your privacy settings by using two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication, often used in online banking, involves “what you know” (e.g., 6-digit password) and “something you have” (e.g., verification code sent thru SMS). You can also change your security questions and your passwords frequently, especially for your emails that contain sensitive data.

2. FILTER YOUR EMAIL

Filter your email contents by not opening the spam mail. To avoid downloading virus or other malware, only open attachments that were given by your friends, family, partners, and clients.

Image Credits: zodman via Flickr with Creative Commons License

Delete the previous emails that are no longer needed so that no one can use them.

3. ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR DATA

I am a klutz! It is unavoidable to have my laptop on the repair shop every year. The only thing worse than having cyber attacks is losing the important data by myself. This is why; a good habit I developed is to back up my data. With this, I can peacefully rest.

4. REGULARLY UPDATE YOUR SOFTWARE

Aside from backing up your data, it is vital to update your software regularly as latest security patches minimize the threats of bugs, viruses, and other malwares. Increase your shield by using free programs that scan your computer for bugs, viruses, and other malwares that come from external sources.

Image Credits: Perspecsys Photos (www.perspecsys.com) via Flickr with Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike

With the increasing number of successful cyber attacks, Cybersecurity has become everyone’s responsibility. Individuals can take the 4 mentioned ways to prevent breaches. While huge companies shall execute robust security practices.

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

Improve Your Business With Employee Engagement

Do you want to increase your employee’s happiness, safety, participation, and good health? Then, you have to be familiar with the term called “Employee Engagement”. Employee Engagement is an approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to the organization’s values and goals. This later leads to organizational success.

The benefits of Employee Engagement are tremendous.

For instance, a study examined 168 engaged and disengaged employees to measure their stress levels and health indicators. Findings showed that engaged employees reported lower stress as well as improved cholesterol and blood pressure readings. Not only that, they engaged employees are proven to perform better by producing better results. Lastly, research showed that engaged employees have a lower chance (i.e., 5 times less) of experiencing accidents at work than their disengaged counterparts.

Having this in mind, you must know that Employee Engagement is one of the most important things to manage and to measure an organization. Measuring employee engagement may seem like a challenge as it focuses on specific areas of the organization’s strengths and gaps. This shall be observed in a personal and a group level through monthly or yearly surveys.

To boost and manage the employee engagement, here are a few steps you may take:

1. ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR STRENGTHS AND CAPABILITIES

Recognizing the employee’s strengths and capabilities does not always have to be monetary. A respectful acknowledgement of the contributions they have made is enough. Never forget to give your employees flexibility to explore how they can contribute best by allowing feedbacks.

2. CREATE TRANSPARENCY

An organization with transparency creates a room for engagement and a sense of significance. Transparency exists when the leader is comfortable enough to share his or her success to the team.

3. EMPOWER THEM

To enable active participation, put your employees in the position of influence. For example, let them lead a project and choose whom they want to collaborate with. This simple deed will make them realize their own potentials.

Image Credits: thetaxhaven via Flickr with Creative Commons License

Sources: 1, 2, & 3

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