SINGAPORE: A 54-year-old man has captured the attention of many online after sharing the unusually varied path his working life has taken. Over the course of nearly four decades, he has held 13 different jobs, moving through industries that ranged from fast food and factory work to offshore engineering, diving instruction, and international sales.
Early jobs during school and polytechnic years
Posting on an online forum, the man reflected on how his working life began in 1987 with a humble part-time job at a KFC outlet in Marina Square while he was still in school.
The shopping mall itself had only recently opened in the late 1980s and was among the largest retail complexes in Singapore at the time, making it a lively place for teenagers to pick up their first pay cheque.
During his school holidays, he picked up other jobs, first working as a factory operator and later taking on shifts in the printing department of a land and sea surveying company.
When he moved on to polytechnic, he spent three years working weekends at a music retail shop as a sales assistant, a role that kept him surrounded by the music and culture he enjoyed.
Around that same period, he also occasionally worked with a roast meat supplier in the Ubi area during busy festive seasons. “I was the kitchen staff marinating and roasting ducks, chickens, and porks,” he said. “I did this during my poly days on special occasions like pre-CNY and other major Chinese festivities.”
Trying different paths in early adulthood
Like many young people in the 1990s, he also tried his hand at multi-level marketing, which was hugely popular at the time. “That was the hype then. Did this during my Poly weekdays. Stayed with the company for 1 year; it had good money but I lost focus. I didn’t like how money-minded I had become. So, I stopped. Good lesson.”
His career then took a more technical turn after completing National Service. He entered the marine industry as an offshore engineer and remained there for two years. The pay was attractive, but the demanding schedule left little room for a personal life.
He later moved to another company in the same industry as an on-site engineer, his eighth job. “I stayed for 2 years. Good money; the best times were being sent to South America for jobs. Brazil and Venezuela, oh my!”
Moving into logistics, sales, and diving
After that, he spent two years at a ship chandler company, which functions somewhat like a concierge service for vessels docking at port. “This is like a butler service for ships coming into our ports and my job is to get them what they need logistically. Stayed for 2 years. Money and bonuses were easy.”
Subsequently, he secured a sales manager position at a marine propulsion company. According to him, “this was his best job” because he got to travel extensively around the world, attending seminars, expos, and workshops.
At the age of 30, he decided to follow a personal passion and became a PADI assistant instructor after earning his diving certification.
“I attained the certification and worked at my friend’s dive shop. This was the most care-free period of my adult life. Money was decent and social life was through the roof! Stayed with the shop for 2 years.”
Later, after getting married, he took on a desk-based position with a regional security consulting firm. “I worked there as a consultant for dive training. Was a deskbound job this time. I got married then.”
After two years there, he moved again, this time becoming a sales manager for an international diving equipment company. “I did lots of travelling to dive expos and conventions. I enjoyed it. This is my last job. I was 35 years old and my first kid was born.”
Looking back with mixed feelings
Despite having such a wide-ranging career journey, the man shared that he sometimes feels uneasy when he reflects on it now.
Looking back at 54, he feels that he never built a career in the strictest sense of the word.
“I have no career to speak of, just job stints,” he said. “No regrets, though. But I do feel a sting whenever my kids had their primary school ‘Parent Job Day’ and I had nothing to contribute.”/TISG
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