SINGAPORE: A recent graduate from the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) shared his struggles in entering the job market, revealing that despite graduating with a second upper honours degree in Computer Science, he remains unemployed and is now juggling three part-time jobs to make ends meet.
In a Reddit post published on 15 October, the user wrote that he had attended his graduation ceremony with his parents.
However, beneath the celebratory surface, the graduate confessed he left the venue “with a lot of trepidation,” expressing deep concern about his future in Singapore.
“I spent three years in poly, two years in NS, another three years in uni — and now I’m jobless. Even with second upper honours,” he wrote.
Retrenched After Conversion from Internship
The graduate said he had been jobless since June after being laid off by a large China-based tech company that had initially converted him and several other interns to full-time positions.
“The reason given was that the company couldn’t afford to run operations in Singapore. Pure bullshit, because they’re one of the largest tech companies from China,” he claimed.
The sudden retrenchment left him “depressed and demoralised” for over a month, as he struggled to find the motivation to continue job hunting amid pressure from his parents.
Working Seven Days a Week Across Three Part-Time Jobs
To cope financially, he said he took on multiple part-time jobs — working as a receptionist at Tan Tock Seng Hospital four days a week, taking on event gigs, and working as a cashier at Giant for three days.
“Working all seven days brings me $3,000 in total,” he wrote.
“A lot of people would complain that they can’t imagine working all seven days a week, but when you’ve got no money and parents ageing rapidly, there’s no choice.”
He added that many of his coursemates were also struggling to find employment, often bumping into each other at job fairs.
“I’ve even snuck into other uni job fairs with the help of friends there. Desperate for a job, but I can’t complain as I’m not the only one,” he said.
650 Job Applications, 1 Offer Paying $2,000
The graduate revealed that he had submitted a total of 650 job applications since June, using a programme to track them.
Out of these, 80 employers responded — but 75 eventually stopped replying.
Only five proceeded to a second interview, and just one extended a job offer.
“That job was only willing to pay $2,000 a month. I rejected it because it wouldn’t get me through. It’s ridiculous because that isn’t even the basic salary of poly graduates nowadays,” he said.
Despite his setbacks, the graduate said he does not blame himself and believes he has done his best under difficult circumstances.
Netizens Offer Advice
Under the comments section, several users offered advice and words of encouragement.
One user suggested that the graduate try applying to companies like NCS, ST Engineering, and Grab, or consider government-related agencies.
The original poster replied that he had already applied to government agencies such as MOH, MINDEF, HTX, DSTA, and IMDA, as well as GLCs like Singtel, Temasek, and ST Engineering, but received no responses despite attending job fairs and submitting multiple applications.
“I tried but it didn’t work out, so I’m ranting here,” he said.
Another commenter suggested that he conduct mock interviews with HR friends to improve his chances.
Others reflected on the broader challenges facing the tech sector, pointing out that the once-booming Computer Science field had cooled amid rapid advancements in artificial intelligence.
“CS has been such a boom industry in the last few years with hyper-inflated starting salaries. Now that AI cuts 20–30% of the work being done, it’s only rational for businesses to cut,” one user commented.
Netizens Say Local Graduates Are Being Sidelined by Cheaper Foreign Hires
Several users voiced frustration over what they described as the unfair treatment of local graduates compared to foreign talent.
One commenter said the post reflected the reality faced by many local graduates, noting that after serving two years in National Service and spending over $30,000 on a degree, many are still offered $2,000 traineeships while being sidelined by cheaper foreign hires.
“At this point, it really feels like we served them, but they didn’t return the favour,” the user wrote, urging the graduate to consider opportunities abroad.
In a Reddit post from June 2025, a user sparked debate over the composition of Singapore’s tech workforce, questioning the high number of foreigners in the industry. Many agreed that in Singapore’s tech sector, locals are often minorities or entirely absent from tech teams.
Another user expressed deep unease about Singapore’s economic direction, saying that the positive news portrayed in mainstream media often did not match the lived experiences of young graduates.
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