THINKING ALOUD

When did entry-level jobs stop being for beginners?

Fresh graduates need chances to gain experience, while employers stand to gain from investing in young talent

Summarise
Low Youjin
Published Wed, Oct 28, 2026 · 07:00 AM
    • Companies should recognise that fresh graduates have little or no work experience, and play a role in helping them develop the skills they need.
    • Companies should recognise that fresh graduates have little or no work experience, and play a role in helping them develop the skills they need. PHOTO: ST

    MY ONLY student internship was at a small outfit producing a children’s magazine out of a Housing & Development Board flat in Marsiling. It ended unceremoniously. The boss ran off across the Causeway without paying me.

    While at university, I freelanced as a photographer and videographer, and even worked on the set of a reality television series.

    As a millennial, I wonder how that early curriculum vitae would fare in today’s job market.