Joulian

Hey

Whats the hottest thing going now in Dubai.

I mean if you want a job.

and what does all employers look for on the resume?

Do you have to have a Ph.d or Masters degree to get anywhere?

Face81

Hi. Welcome to the forum!

IT and construction are the hottest jobs in Dubai at the moment. Having a degree is now the law, so yes, Masters and Phd's do give u a big boost on the salary ladder.

Eeyore

Is it? Since when? I've been offered a good job in Dubai Media City and I don't have a degree, and degrees aren't stated as being necessary in the latest Zappy Explorer.

Face81

depends on the job i suppose.. and the Zappy doesnt know everything. Degrees are a must........ hardly any potential employer will give ur CV a second glance if u havent got a CV.

Other forumers will confirm this for u in the AM.

Congratulations on ur job!

Eeyore

Ah right - when you said "degrees are the law now" I thought you meant it in the literal sense, i.e. it's now part of Dubai immigration law that you have to have a degree!

I'm a TV director (I'll be working for Showtime Arabia), and as with most media-based jobs, paper qualifications are pretty irrelevant - you get offered new work based entirely on your showreel and your experience.

Face81

kewl job! Do something about those bloody adverts they have on every 15 minutes..... they are ever so annoying.

And do put in a word onhow most of the ads are in arabic when 99% of the material they broadcast is in english.... it is hilarious when they say in arabic: "xxx x x xxx xxxxxxxx xxxxx Dennis Quaid xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxx xxxxxxxx Radio Flyer". Its hilarious the way they throw in English movie stars and movie titles into complex arabic dialogue. lol

LakesLassie

What about a Batchelors degree with honours Face - would that be considered "inferior" to a Masters and if so, why?

Jellybean

I also thought that u meant in the literal sense FACE

My hubby has no degree, diploma, barely a cert to his name to speak of, but tons of experience a well known name in his field, which is why he has a top management position in one of the governments biggest assets Can't tell you anymore or i'll hv to shoot you LOL

Palm Tree

Sorry FACE, I know you are the mastermind of the UAE but like everything in Dubai, one week you get supposedly a message in the newspaper about a so called new law or ban and the next week, it is all reversed. The last message in the newspaper was, no more degrees needed, as too many fraudsters were making money on issuing false certificates. Studying the strategy of writing newspapers was part of my studies and I only read them to know what information everyone is getting and pick the info I need but not for one second do I take most of it seriously. It is in every country used for manipulation and hasn't got that much to do with censorship as people like to think. If a business wants to be successful, it has to spread the word of doing really well, even if it isn't and the business will atract more business, just because it is gaining a good reputation quickly. Anyway, can't explain the complexity of it all, after all, I had to study it for 4 years.

Having lived in Switzerland, which has laws and rules for everything and don't you dare braking them, I am enjoying to be a free citizen and able to make some decisions for myself. So anyone complaining about the lack of laws in Dubai, relocate to Switzerland and you will be coming running back to Dubai.

Jammy_Dodgers

Right,

If you take a job in the free zones i.e. Internet City, Media City, they will fast track you through your residency .

I will have to agree that most local companies outside the free zone will not look at you twice unless you have a degree of sorts. Even then you will not get residency until it has been attested by everyone in the world.

Basically if you will be working in Media city then you have got nowt to worry about...got all mine done in a few days

Face81

lol.. no it isnt inferior at all. havin am masters just helps u along a bit in the salary department, if u know wot i mean? lol

Face81

ahh.... good 2 know. they love reversing and re-instating rules dont they? latest law to make a come back is the over 60's visa rule. Now thats a silly one. It really is.

LakesLassie

eh, no I don't know what you mean I'm afraid. Why would someone with an ordinary degree and a masters expect better pay than someone with a batchelors degree with honours?

Face81

Sorry LL........ Didnt mean to offend anyone, but one can expect higher salaries with higher qualifications. Obviously this isnt a rule of thumb, but with a higher degree (and associated work experience), one can expect to be able to apply for a higher position in a company and therefore one can expect to be paid a higher salary for a higher post than if u start out at the bottom of the list of jobs that a company has on offer.

This is true in Dubai, most of the time anyway.

LakesLassie

Don't worry Face I'm not offended, but I sometimes forget the differences in the education systems.

If you go to university in England, you can expect an Honours degree after 3 years' study (apart from architecture & medicine & no doubt another few exceptions). Universities in Scotland will give you an ordinary degree after 3 years. Many people leave with their ordinary degrees and some go on to do a Masters in a different discipline. You also have the OPTION, if your lecturers believe you are up for it, to stay for a 4th year, which will give you an Honours degree.

It is not a lesser qualification than a Masters unless you do a specialised Masters course that has strict entry requirements. Your scenario would put someone with an ordinary degree in Zoology and a Masters in Software Enginering as more qualified than someone with an Honours degree in Computing. This of course is nonsense as how could someone be more qualified after 1 year than someone else who studied the subject for 4?

I am assuming (and hoping for future reference) that prospective employers in Dubai would know the difference and not discriminate on the grounds of a lack of knowledge of different education systems.

You will be pleased to hear that today I made good use of my Honours Degree by baking and decorating a birthday cake & fancy biscuits for my son's 6th birthday party. And it was bloody freezing today too!

Hope you're enjoying Blighty and not over-indulging in fish suppers!!