Cyprus-Forum.com

[Sega]

Hello everybody,

I would really appreciate if everybody said something on this thread.

I am wondering if wages are at all related to one's qualifications.

Do people who have a standard diploma, degree or a masters degree viewed on the same light by an employer? Does it make a difference if you are slightly more educated than the guy next door, does this mean you will be entitled to a higher wage.

How does the salary they get reflect this, is it worth going to university to start off on the same foot as somebody who did not go?

I feel this topic is very important as I have many relates who slaved away at college/university and come back to get the same wage as somebody who works at Starbucks or Costa's. We all understand that Cyprus in relation to it's population has a high rate of people going to further/higher education.

Money is extremely important for somebody livelihood, it makes them do things they wanted to do, acts as an incentive in the most part. So if this incentive is taken away would people not do jobs badly, how on earth can somebody work to the very best of his ability when he/she knows their getting a low wage (despite of the fact that this is Cyprus).

Would you say this is the reason many in Cyprus do their jobs bad? I understand there are many people who do bad jobs in the UK, but it seems that in Cyprus it is magnified by many factors.

[JoJo]

Hi Sega. I am speaking from my own experience (and not making generalisations). I have a double degree from an Australian university(studied 3 years). When we returned to Cyprus a couple of years ago, I applied for a job in the field that I am qualified to do. The company was comprised of another 25 females. I went to the interview with my resume and other documents (which I am proud of beacuse of public speaking awards to name a few etc.etc.etc.). The employer took a brief look and said that I had the Job. Great I said but he replied and said that due to the fact that the other girls had little or no tertiary studies, I would be receiving the same wages as them. He also said that if I got more ££££ the other girls would get jealous. I asked if my qualifications mattered at the end of the day and he said they did not. I politely refused the job. The moral of the story is that after 2 years I gave up on looking for a job in my field of work.

Mr JoJo is also qualified in his field of work. He worked for a couple of companies. The 1st one was the best (joke) beacuse they made him clean the toilet and he was also the water boy going to and from the water tank. He mostly had to do this in 40 degree heat. They did not want my hus at that job beacause he knew what he was doing. They actually wanted someone with no knowlegde so that they could detroy the PC's instead of fixing them because that is how they make their money. This happened at a couple of other shops as well.

Anyway, that is our own personal experiences.. In the majority of places it is not what you know, but who you know. This not only applies for Cyprus, but it was the same back in OZ (the who you know ...bit).

[michalis5354]

The employers want to pay as little as possible for wages no matter what qualifications you have. I believe wages and qualifications matter only when you apply to the government , banks or some big organisations. In other cases they do not taken seriously. And in Cyprus it is experience that matters mostly and not qualifications and knowledge and this is the reason of the related problems regarding customer service , efficiency , coruption.

The Presidents of Cyprus is over 60 y o so experience is what is valued and not knowledge and skills.

[Sotos]

Experience is more important than a degree. Just a degree without experience means that you should theoretically be able to do something. Experience means that you have already done it many times and you mastered it and your employer can review your actual work before he hires you. If you don't have experience then other things equal you will have higher chances at getting a job than somebody with no experience and lower degree. And I emphasize other things equal because there are many factors at getting a job or not. If you have an annoying character for example nobody will want to hire you.

Do people who have a standard diploma, degree or a masters degree viewed on the same light by an employer? Does it make a difference if you are slightly more educated than the guy next door, does this mean you will be entitled to a higher wage.

Some big companies will have a minimum degree as requirement. So if you don't meet the minimum requirements then you will not even get a job interview. But from the interview and after what matters is how good you are and not how many degrees you have. Say I want to hire a great graphic designer. One person has just a 2 years degree but he is a talent and I really like his work. The other person has a master degree but I don't like his work. Which one will I hire? If the degree didn't help the second person to became better than the first one then it is worthless. A degree worths only if it actually makes you better at what you do.

Money is extremely important for somebody livelihood, it makes them do things they wanted to do, acts as an incentive in the most part.

The ones who are the most successful and eventually make the most money are those that choose their studies and their job because they have passion for that subject. Those that go to university just to get a higher paid job usually don't manage much.

[Sega]

From personal experience I have to agree with both your comments. It seems that they want to pay the bare minimum. The only problem is housing is not exactly cheap and life is slightly more expensive that it was 20 years ago .

I also have a relative who gave up working in her field due to bad wages. So what is exactly the point of going to university? Passing those degrees was not exactly a walk in the park.

And in Cyprus it is experience that matters mostly and not qualifications and knowledge and this is the reason of the related problems regarding customer service , efficiency , coruption.

Why do parents push their children to go to univeristy then. It makes little sense. If qualifications where taken seriously everybody would be doing a better job. Imagine how efficient banks would be if everybody had an MBA. Banks don't require qualifications, they require an IQ test I think, it's been proven that people given enough training can fake these tests.

I do have experience in work, but I have always been self employed. I feel employers see this as a problem. I achieve something on my own where as somebody else was given a wage to achieve exactly the same thing, only difference is that he did not achieve it for himself but for a company. I am doubtful if companies want to accelerate and give job positions to people who will take them further.

[Sega]

The ones who are the most successful and eventually make the most money are those that choose their studies and their job because they have passion for that subject. Those that go to university just to get a higher paid job usually don't manage much.

Many people a ditching their chosen study because people are not paying them accordingly in the beginning. For instance I can get more working as a waitor than working my chosen subject which I spend 5 years at university. I went to university because I enjoyed my subject and I still do, thats why I do it day in day out at home without pay.

[Sotos]

Imagine how efficient banks would be if everybody had an MBA.

They wouldn't because everybody would want to be a manager and nobody a cashier.

I also have a relative who gave up working in her field due to bad wages.

She should have considered the wages before entering the field.

I am doubtful if companies want to accelerate and give job positions to people who will take them further.

So you doubt that companies want to make more money?

I do have experience in work, but I have always been self employed.

What do you do?

[Sega]

They wouldn't because everybody would want to be a manager and nobody a cashier. Wink

If they paid their cashiers as much as the managers they would.

She should have considered the wages before entering the field.

Wages change, depending on the employee market. If there are 10 IT technician jobs and there are 20 available places. Hence less jobs than qualified people, wages tend to go down, particularly in the private sector.

So you doubt that companies want to make more money? Confused

In order for companies and people a-like to make money an initial investment needs to be put down. In other countries there are companies in the private sector that offer to train, pay and educate their employees as part of the package. In other words they invest in their employees. Without this initial investment they would not have dedicated people working for them. This makes the employees work harder in their job because they feel bad without giving something back. General employers in Cyprus want to make money from you from day one, there is no initial investment. I had a company which wanted me to use my own PC and offer me a wage that could not even cover my bills. In other words, a win win situation for the silly company.

What do you do?

I would rather not say.

[Sotos]

The thing is that Cyprus is a small country and most companies are not very big. The few big companies that we have do offer training and all that.

[windsurfrush]

Wages are terrible in Cyprus. I feel sorry for newlyweds that have a degree and receive very little income. They are unable to buy their own home if their parents haven't provided a piece of land for them. Cyprus has changed. It is no longer the Cyprus I remember 15 years ago... hence why I will be moving to Canada in the summer. People lead a better quality life over there in comparison with Cyprus. The only thing Cyprus seems to offer is 365 days of sunshine *yawn* and beaches. I guess many British people retire here because they like the concept of living some place sunny. In reality, they'd be better off living some place else.