SINGAPORE: After three months of searching for work, an NTU graduate with a mathematics degree says he has managed to secure only two interviews, neither of which led to an offer.
Posting on the r/NTU forum on Friday (Mar 20), he admitted he is starting to feel burnt out by the job hunting process. “This is genuinely frustrating because I have worked very hard for the past 16 years, hoping to land a job at least.”
“I absolutely don’t want to live off my parents forever or be a hikikomori (a person who isolates themselves from society), so I keep on trying, but recently I feel much more stressed and burned out from the same cycle of applying and being rejected or ignored.”
He added that, as far as he can tell, his credentials are not the issue. His resume has been reviewed by several career advisors and industry contacts, and he has received positive feedback.
He described his GPA as decent, saying it may not be “great,” but “it is still okay.” He also feels his interview skills are adequate, noting that he did not struggle to secure internships in the past.
Still, with no offers coming through, he admitted he is unsure what else he can do to improve his chances.
“Is there anything else I can or should do?” he asked. “I just never thought I would enter the job market (or rat race if that’s a better word) because I would be a cadet pilot with a commercial airline, and I would spend the rest of my life flying. But reality hit: I failed my medical examination, and this means I can never do my dream job at my dream company.”
“Now, I am screwed because I don’t know what I really want to do. With a degree in math, there is the potential to do a lot of great things, but in the meantime, not specialised in any field or line of work,” he added.
“Hang in there and remember to take care of yourself.”
In the comments, several Singaporean Redditors were quick to reassure the NTU graduate that he was not at fault and that the challenges he was facing were largely due to the difficult job market.
“It’s not you. The job market is brutal. Just keep trying,” one said.
“Hey, it’s not a ‘you problem’; don’t feel down about that. Do you like the aviation industry? Maybe you can try applying to other roles at the airlines? If you’ve gotten interviews with those airlines for pilot roles before, maybe you can try emailing/messaging the HR/recruiter to ask if they can consider you for other roles?” another chimed in.
“The job market is legit brutal right now, so it’s not necessarily a you thing. Hang in there and remember to take care of yourself as you do your job search!” a third added.
In other news, online discussions about starting salaries have resurfaced after a fresh graduate revealed on an online forum that she is currently earning just S$2,000 a month before CPF deductions.
In her post on r/askSingapore, the young woman explained that she holds a bachelor’s degree in business and is currently working in a short-term contract role.
Read more: Fresh grad earning S$2k/month worries she may be undervaluing herself in the job market
