SINGAPORE: When an 18-year-old Singaporean heard the news that his parents had lost their jobs, he promptly took to an online forum, desperately asking locals “what career he should aim for” to support the family.
In his post on the r/singaporefi, he wrote that his family’s savings “are not much” and can only “survive until he finishes university.”
“I have no choice but to seek a course that will pay well and also aim for a scholarship to lessen the financial burden. However, it’s like every course has its downsides, and I can never get a straight answer on which career can pay a decent amount to support my parents as quickly as possible,” he said.
The young man added that he plans to apply to universities after completing his National Service.
Since he achieved straight As in school, he believes he stands a good chance of being admitted into most programmes offered by the country’s Big 3 universities.
At the moment, he has been looking into several options, including business analytics, pharmacy, pharmaceutical science, and food science and technology. He is also considering courses related to data science, economics, business, and finance.
“I would say I have interest in a wide range of courses, so I’ve had a hard time narrowing down,” he wrote.
He ended his post by asking others for suggestions on what course he should take. “Any other recommendations are also welcome, but no engineering, as I never took physics and suck at it,” he added.
“Don’t make the mistake of choosing something you hate out of current financial distress.”
In the discussion thread, one commenter suggested that instead of chasing whichever career appears to offer the highest pay, the young man should focus on choosing a course that suits his strengths and interests.
“It’s all about adaptability,” they added. “You’re right, no course is perfect without downsides. All the best! You’re close to the ‘finishing’ line. Next chapter coming up in a few short years…”
Another person echoed this sentiment, pointing out that a person’s natural strengths often play a bigger role in long-term success.
“Ultimately, it depends on what you’re good at. Gift of the gab? Obviously law. Sciences? Med. In whatever field you do, make sure you excel, and you do it well. Money will follow,” the commenter said.
A third user also urged the young man not to rush into a decision based purely on his family’s current financial difficulties.
“What do you want to do and are actually interested in? Don’t make the mistake of choosing something you hate out of current financial distress. That’s definitely a factor, but a career spans 20, 30 years. You should choose something you’re actually interested in and ideally good at.”
Still, a few commenters offered more specific suggestions and encouraged him to consider fields related to data or finance, which they said could provide stable career prospects.
One wrote, “As someone doing data, I’m going to nudge you towards data. I don’t think it’s going to give you the big bucks immediately, but it should be a decent start and then a good upwards trajectory. Data is the heart of everything, and without data, nothing can come of technology or AI.”
Another commented, “Go into finance; this is where high-paying jobs are in Singapore.”
In other news, a jobseeker was shocked when the CEO of the company he applied to lashed out at him during an interview, telling him bluntly, “If you’re not confident, then get lost! People like you will never succeed! Stay poor!”
The man had applied for a sales position and said the hiring process actually started off on a surprisingly positive note.
Read more: Singapore jobseeker shocked after CEO tells him to ‘get lost’ during job interview
