Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Scarabrae]

When my contract ends this September, I'll be heading back to the states to get an engineering job. If I am unable to land a good job, plan #2 would be to get my masters.

I've had a great time here in Korea, and was thinking about studying at PNU. I know that in Korea it's regarded as a really good school, but would it hold it's value overseas? Ideally I would like to get a job for Hyundai or Samsung so I could travel in between the States and Korea. But if I didn't work for a Korean company would it be worthless?

[bluelake]

My son received his master's in linguistics from PNU a year ago (now working on his Ph.D. in linguistics at Korea University) and found the university to be pretty good.

[ryunatkorea]

I recently quick teaching and got a civil engineering job with a medium firm in Korea. It was hard for me to even 'directly' apply for big name companies that you mentioned. From being an public school English-*beep* to a corporate English-*beep*, my job responsibilities hasn't really changed much. Engineering in Korea seems so limited. It's more of a busy work to make nicely plagiarized reports for public officials than actual 'engineering.' Often I thought about going back the States to either grad-school or another job, but you know, job market is tough back home. Engineering isn't as glorified or have much prestige as they do in back home. Thus the pay sucks. I made a lot more money in terms of time as a teacher than I do now (but I hate kids so...) It sounds like you don't have your masters/phd, so I doubt any of the big companies can really use you to your full ability. The people that I've worked for just didn't know what to do with me. I still have periods of boredom plagued with sleepiness and lack of work. People here treat you very different, if you are not busy. I found myself distanced from coworkers.

So, to answer your question, PSU is pretty good school (from what I hear), but even Koreans don't really recognize Korean degrees. Pretty much better companies back home would want to see a degree from an accredited professional universities. Working in Korea won't really buff your resume for working back home because the responsibilities given isn't worth mentioning.

I'm just waiting for the first chance to go back home, when worth of Won gets better and I can somewhat guarantee a spot back in the job force.

By the way what kind of engineer are you?

[Scarabrae]

I'm a fresh grad with a BS in Electrical Engineering Technology and a minor in Engineering Management. I guess that's why I'm working at a Computer Science high school now... but I want to get into the real thing.

[ryunatkorea]

School-wise I think you would have a great time. Korea has that appeal. It's a fun place to be, but life-wise not so great. EE is a great discipline, probably has much better job potential than mine. I studied industrial engineering and materials science & engineering; virtually, smallest engineering job market. I was a comfortable R&D chemist/quality engineer for awhile before I came to Korea. I don't regret it my time here. I had 'fun.' However, I don't wish to make a permanent life here. In fact, I dread being here now. Being a 'gyopo' didn't really make it any better. I had some really good project here that sent me to Middle East and South East Asia. I quickly rose in corporate ladder, but my corporate future kind of plateaued after awhile. I've seen several Korean engineers studied very hard to pass US professional engineering exam and immigrate to US... probably for the same reason as mine (limited growth). Looking back I wish I built my career in the States. Kinda pointless to pick up a job as near-entry level analyst. If you got some 'chebol' connections by all means staying here may be better for you. I knew a few yuhaks that graduated in the States working in Samsung and Doosan, all of them got their masters. Whether you are in the States or in Korea, connections go a long way. My lack of connection hurt me a upper level management. IMHO, unless you planning on raising your kids here, I'd just grab a better degree in a better country with a better job market. (yeh~ I said it!) Having worked at a public schools here in Korea, I'd never let my offsprings be educated here.

From what I hear from my friends in the States, I lived in the East Coast, Job market is fine for mid-entry level engineers (mostly in the government contractor sector). Northrop Grumman and Booz Allen Hamilton, both big EE/CpE employers are hiring about 2000-3000.

If you browse through this forum about MBA program in Korea, several people who went through it said a lot of negative stuff about Korean college degrees.

Sorry about my long gloomy life story, but I often wonder about the road not taken.

[coralreefer_1]

I would suggest that you choose carefully. As another poster mentioned, these days even Koreans do not regard Korean degrees very highly. That aside, the accreditation (if any) it carried may be of more importance.

According to this page http://www.abeek.or.kr/eng/ after clicking the "accredited programs" link, the programs that are accredited are not for graduate level. Granted there may be other accreditation agencies out there, this just came up on a quick google.

However, what has accreditation in Korea may not be recognized by the US. Dept. of Education back home. Now whether or not accreditation will keep you from getting a good job is really up to the human resources department/hiring committee as the company you wish to work for, but it is always better to have accreditation.

The program there is pretty cheap, and I can guess as an American you could probably get a full scholarship and pay nothing. What weight that may carry for the rest of your career is a consideration. If time is not an issue and you can do the program while here in Korea, it wont hurt you, but it may not help you much either.

[Benicio]

The only reason I would ever recommend someone to study at a Korean university is if it was for something specifically Korean- language, history, arts, etc.
Anything technical or medical or anything else for that matter- take a pass.

A degree from a Korean university is held in almost the same regard as a high school diploma in most 1st world countries.
I say this not to diss Koreans. Koreans will tell you, if they are honest, that they don't really value a Korean degree unless it is from one of the big 4- Seoul National, Yonsei, Korea U., or KAIST.
Even then, they value a degree from a foreign university far more.
Take a look around at schools. The bigwigs and people in power all got their degrees overseas. The ones who got their degrees in Korea are thought of as 2nd rate at best.
PNU graduates several thousand engineering students every year. They still have to import engineering experts from Europe and other places for the big jobs. That should really tell you something right there.

Sorry, but unless you are planning on staying here forever, getting a degree at a Korean university would be a waste of time and money.

[coralreefer_1]

[ryunatkorea]

Basically you gotta ask yourself

1) Is "fun time in Korea" your only motive for education in PNU?
When I first came to Korea long ago, I felt like I was the golden boy. I has a most "fun time in Korea." So I came to live, teach and play. It got old quick. Most gyopo and yuhaks would tell you that "Korea is good place to play, but bad place to live." I would no doubt that PNU is a great school to attend for 2-3 years of your life. In 2-3 years from entry level analyst to junior engineer, you should be making 50-60k USD. Korean Engineering salary could noway match that.

2) Where do you plan you life(family, children, morgage...) beyond the next 10+ years?
Korean wife... streamlined education for your children... Going back to the States is not easy as people think. I knew this one foreigner CS guy married a Korean teacher, went back and bought his parent's bed and breakfast. He really didn't have any career built up for upper-level professional job that can feed his 2 kids. Another guy I know, Korean mid-level civil engineer, sold everything he had in Korea and got to the States. He couldn't even get a job filling the pot holes. So he opened up a small service garage. Pretty much Korean degree locks you in Korean life.

3) Do you have any big-wig connections in Korea?
It's common mistake that even most gyopos assume that they are elite choice for employment in top Korean companies. Without any connections you are lost in the sea of over qualified resumes. Korean resumes asks for you parents' income as well as your entire family background. Also, they prefer someone who serves in the Korean military for upper position. In all honesty, I had few hookups that got me through a lot of the red tapes myself. Big companies tend to overwork their employees. Unless your Korean language ability includes Hanja and Korean technical writing, they can't work you. English ability alone could only take you so far. I've seen many yuhaks get employed in Samsung, and Doosan, but rarely gyopos. I've heard of one gyopo guy get employed through Accenture US then being sent to Accenture Korea, but he had his masters from the States and 8+years experience.

There are plenty of horror stories out there, but I know of few success stories too. I think, I've been very lucky and fortunate here. I heard my former company had a big layoff. It was a chemicals company, with the dollar being so expensive, foreign companies couldn't buy any. In any case, if it wasn't for a significant reason *ahem* *girl* I would no way choose my career path here.

It's not about the quality of school; it's about your quality of life.

[Yong-eul shin]

Ok, excuse me for asking but I have a similar question to ask and I kind of want an opinion for someone of a different major and I don't think it's a good idea to make another thread for a similar subject. I myself am about to graduate from undergraduate university and I was thinking of studying abroad in Korea for graduate. I'm about to graduate from university as an Asian Studies major, and I was thinking about getting a graduate degree in Korean Studies or something like that. Would it be a good idea for me to get a degree from a place like Pusan National University for that? Thanks for the help.

[bluelake]

[Yong-eul shin]

Awesome, good to hear that. Thanks. But yeah, I saw in the website that Pusan National University already has a Korean Studies program in its graduate school.

[Yong-eul shin]

How about International Area studies or Humanities in general? Would degrees in those be good enough if they're from Korean universities? Thanks.