Best Starting Salary for University grads

[EVENKEEL]

For those of us with kids here in Thailand, what do you envision your son or daughter becoming someday? I mean profession wise. Here in Thailand a good education is required to have a life where you don't live paycheck to paycheck. So, what baht amount per month would you consider your kid made it good.

[OneMoreFarang]

34 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

So, what baht amount per month would you consider your kid made it good.

I have no personal experience with this. But it seems to me that for many Thais the salary alone is not so important. There are lots of people who want to be police officers even when everybody is complaining that their salary is so low. And then there are doctors, teachers, people who work in the local or central administration, etc.

[KiChakayan]

39 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

For those of us with kids here in Thailand, what do you envision your son or daughter becoming someday?

My vision for my children is to work and retire in Europe, New Zealand or Australia. I keep their passports up to date and let them make their own choices as regard to study and career. 

[bignok]

Teach them to be tech gurus. Better than being a wage slave.

[bignok]

26 minutes ago, KiChakayan said:

My vision for my children is to work and retire in Europe, New Zealand or Australia. I keep their passports up to date and let them make their own choices as regard to study and career. 

So move to a less fun country.

[EVENKEEL]

9 minutes ago, bignok said:

Teach them to be tech gurus. Better than being a wage slave.

I'm not sure what some professions pay. Doctor of course, I assume are top earners. Then you have pharmacists, seems like it should be a good paying gig. Own your own pharmacy.

 

I'd be inclined to say engineering would be solid choice. Finance could be good. Surely we have some success stories of kids landing a high paid job out of school.

[bignok]

Just now, EVENKEEL said:

I'm not sure what some professions pay. Doctor of course, I assume are top earners. Then you have pharmacists, seems like it should be a good paying gig. Own your own pharmacy.

 

I'd be inclined to say engineering would be solid choice. Finance could be good. Surely we have some success stories of kids landing a high paid job out of school.

Teach them to be good people. Forget about money.

[Callmeishmael]

I friend used to joke that she was sending her daughter 30K baht a month to go to university so that she could earn 20K a month after she graduated!

[bignok]

3 minutes ago, Callmeishmael said:

I friend used to joke that she was sending her daughter 30K baht a month to go to university so that she could earn 20K a month after she graduated!

True. Most will never earn much. Most degrees are worthless.

[zzaa09]

Firstly. one might have to define what a fine and quality education would be in Thailand. 

I would be terribly suspect. Especially at the university level. 

 

The reputation has revealed itself over and again. 

[Fab5BKK]

Adecco TH Salary Survey 2023

 

That should give you some ideas...

[spidermike007]

Some sort of high demand tech speciality, civil or structural engineering, or the medical trade, on a support level. Unless they are entrepreneurs, or have a trade like these, they won't make much. 

[Fab5BKK]

Life, and work, in Thailand could be sweet IF you got some skills.

 

Examples:

fluency in 3 languages (Thai incl.) + Enginering Degree (Local) + Master Degree (International)

 

fluency in 3 languages (Thai incl.) + Law Degree (Local) + Post Graduate Degree (International)

[CharlieKo]

My understanding is you need a uni degree just to work as a checkout girl for Lotus's!

[ArnieP]

15 minutes ago, CharlieKo said:

My understanding is you need a uni degree just to work as a checkout girl for Lotus's!

I realise you’re joking. However, it does seem that a substantial number of graduates are working at 7-11.

[CharlieKo]

12 hours ago, ArnieP said:

I realise you’re joking. However, it does seem that a substantial number of graduates are working at 7-11.

I didn't believe it either when I was first told.

[sidneybear]

On 4/23/2023 at 11:05 PM, bignok said:

Teach them to be good people. Forget about money.

I get where you're coming from but both are important and can coexist. 

[VocalNeal]

On 4/23/2023 at 10:01 PM, Fab5BKK said:

Life, and work, in Thailand could be sweet IF you got some skills experience

There sorted that.????

What employers want is someone who can do the job.

So after uni take any job that will give you experience in the chosen field.

 

[Fab5BKK]

14 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

There sorted that.????

What employers want is someone who can do the job.

So after uni take any job that will give you experience in the chosen field.

 

The title was:

 Best Starting Salary for University grads...

 

And my answer was in line with the question...

"Life, and work, in Thailand could be sweet IF you got some skills (skills: the ability to do something well)

 

Examples:

fluency in 3 languages (Thai incl.) + Enginering Degree (Local) + Master Degree (International)

 

fluency in 3 languages (Thai incl.) + Law Degree (Local) + Post Graduate Degree (International)"

[it is what it is]

 

the thai friend's children work as, for example, accountant, economist, lawyer, business owner, most went to ABAC, CU or TU and several did Masters abroad. good jobs are there if you're smart enough to get to a decent uni, work hard  and have the right attitude, very similar to my friend's kids in the uk.

[Adumbration]

On 4/23/2023 at 10:00 PM, spidermike007 said:

Some sort of high demand tech speciality, civil or structural engineering, or the medical trade, on a support level. Unless they are entrepreneurs, or have a trade like these, they won't make much. 

Careers in tech moving forward are extremely high risk as 80 to 90% of all coding and design work will be done by AI agents.  That is why the giants like Twitter and Facebook are cutting thousands of jobs.  It is now possible for just one senior engineer to run entire development projects using AI agents.  It is going to be very difficult for new tech graduates to get a start, how can they possible compete with AI that already codes (for free) at a swift and advanced level.

 

VC and seed capital firms are facing massive write downs at the moment on the start ups they have invested in.  Just a year or so ago it might take a couple of million to staff a project to boot strap it.  And this was reflected in the valuation of the company.  However the same outcomes can now be achieved with a couple of hundred thousand with two and three people startups that use AI to do the heavy lifting.

 

Law is now a buggy whip profession also.  Over the next few years all paralegals will be replaced by AI.  Lawyers will also eventually be replaced entirely.

 

Journalism, copywriting, proofreading, graphic design, and teaching are just some of the many other professions that are dead end jobs as of today.

[Adumbration]

The huge hurdle for new graduates to overcome is the corrupt and patronage based work environment in Thailand.

 

Does not matter how smart or ambitious you are if you are not connected you will just not get a break.

 

This is why there are lots of graduates working at 7-11.

 

One of my previous girlfriends has a degree in law from Chula.  She is from a dirt poor family down south but she was very bright and very lucky because she had a kind teacher in high school that helped her to get a scholarship.

 

When I met her she was selling pillows in the basement of Central plaza in Phuket on 12K a month and living in a dingy little 1K5 baht apartment with cracked floor tiles and a massive ant problem.  That was the only job she could get.  She applied for lots of government positions and the RTP but did not have the money to pay the requested bribes.

 

We were together for a number of years and I helped her to improve her English and introduced her to several new career opportunities.  She is now the GM of a large business in Phuket and a year or so ago purchased herself a home for 2.7 million.

[BritManToo]

On 4/23/2023 at 8:48 PM, Callmeishmael said:

I friend used to joke that she was sending her daughter 30K baht a month to go to university so that she could earn 20K a month after she graduated!

My daughter earns 20k/month plus apartment 2 years after graduating. 

[mania]

Even to work at 7-11 Thailand you need a college degree

Starting pay was only 12k a month but did have a few benefits

[gomangosteen]

2 hours ago, mania said:

Even to work at 7-11 Thailand you need a college degree

Starting pay was only 12k a month but did have a few benefits

Daughter #1 worked at 7-11 throughout her uni studies, part-time, plus fulltime on semester breaks, she enjoyed it, never complained, and gave her some independence/spending money; in her last year she was a shift supervisor which paid a little more - but best thing was she liked working there and took all available extra hours.

Second daughter starts at same 7-11 as soon as she turns 18 later this year.

[bignok]

2 hours ago, mania said:

Even to work at 7-11 Thailand you need a college degree

Starting pay was only 12k a month but did have a few benefits

To use the tils? 

[TravelerEastWest]

On 4/26/2023 at 12:30 AM, Adumbration said:

Careers in tech moving forward are extremely high risk as 80 to 90% of all coding and design work will be done by AI agents.  That is why the giants like Twitter and Facebook are cutting thousands of jobs.  It is now possible for just one senior engineer to run entire development projects using AI agents.  It is going to be very difficult for new tech graduates to get a start, how can they possible compete with AI that already codes (for free) at a swift and advanced level.

 

VC and seed capital firms are facing massive write downs at the moment on the start ups they have invested in.  Just a year or so ago it might take a couple of million to staff a project to boot strap it.  And this was reflected in the valuation of the company.  However the same outcomes can now be achieved with a couple of hundred thousand with two and three people startups that use AI to do the heavy lifting.

 

Law is now a buggy whip profession also.  Over the next few years all paralegals will be replaced by AI.  Lawyers will also eventually be replaced entirely.

 

Journalism, copywriting, proofreading, graphic design, and teaching are just some of the many other professions that are dead end jobs as of today.

Interesting thoughts - not sure if I understand how creative thinking will be taken over by AI...

[jaideedave]

On 4/23/2023 at 8:48 PM, Callmeishmael said:

I friend used to joke that she was sending her daughter 30K baht a month to go to university so that she could earn 20K a month after she graduated!

My personal experience is:My wife and her younger sister are orphans.Her young sister was just finishing high school in Issarn.

I was doing quite well at the time and offered to send her to uni at my expense.

She attended UTCC in BKK for 5 years and graduated with a degree in Accounting.I sent her 15k each month for living costs and paid the annual tuition.Her 1st job as a junior accountant paid about 10k.She now works at King Power for circa 15k + per month.

In hindsight I could have bought her a 7-11 franchise with what it cost me.TIT This was back in 2006...A uni degree may not the best investment in Thailand. But what is?

[TravelerEastWest]

I am not sure about a Thai university degree but there are some intangibles - A good university education teaches you how to think...

 

Of course you might make a lot more money as a plumber compared to being a lawyer at times - but that is another subject.

[bkk6060]

On 4/23/2023 at 6:53 PM, EVENKEEL said:

Here in Thailand a good education is required to have a life where you don't live paycheck to paycheck. 

Tell a girl on Soi 6 this and they will laugh in your face.

 

In all seriousness, quality jobs are not easy to find.  Lousy sales jobs are plenty.  As are those in hotel and restaurants.  But 12 to 15k a month is a minimal living standard if they work in the tourist areas or city. And, what is the true professional/job identity of this place? 

 

Government jobs are decent because they are steady work with pay raises and a pension much more then the current 500 b scheme.