SINGAPORE: A Singaporean professional has sparked discussion online after admitting that despite spending just five years in the workforce, he already feels burnt out and disillusioned with working life.
Posting on the r/askSingapore subreddit on Tuesday (Jan 6), the man shared that although his job is objectively comfortable, he struggles to imagine himself continuing on the same career path for the rest of his life.
“It’s not that work is particularly tiring,” he wrote. “I’m in buy-side investments, so it’s not as tough as IB. My hours are okay, the pay is good, but I just feel like I’m in a rut.”
He explained that when he first started working, what drove him was the thrill of the chase, constantly striving for a better role, a higher salary, or the next career milestone. That sense of momentum, however, has since worn off. Now that he has reached a position that many would consider desirable, he finds himself feeling oddly underwhelmed rather than satisfied.
“Now that I’m here and it’s not even that it’s so tiring, I just feel like not working anymore,” he continued.
“I’m losing motivation and don’t feel as motivated to go above and beyond for my job. I don’t see myself doing this for the next 20 to 30 years. I don’t feel fulfilled from my job.”
Turning to the online community for advice, he asked fellow Singaporeans:
“How do you all do it?? Do you take regular career breaks? Does work get less or more fulfilling over time? Or please give any tips on how you re-motivate yourself if you’ve gone through a rut.”
“Find a job that aligns with your interests.”
In the comments, a local who said he is now in his 50s shared how he managed to stay motivated over the years:
“I imagine I am a squirrel, collecting all the nuts before winter comes,” he said. “That kept me going, and now I am in my 50s, not needing to worry about losing my job. It all feels worth it. I can be fired anytime and won’t lose sleep—I will just retire. That’s what consistency brings you. Max your FRS at 30, finish paying for your home by 40, and ensure you have no commitment by 50s. You are basically free financially.”
Another individual working in buy-side finance commented, “The money, that’s all. Let’s be frank, the work I do and that of many of my peers in the industry has no real value. We are neither providing goods nor services. Yet we earn above-median and comfortable salaries. So to answer your question again, money.”
A third said, “Bills. It is simple, don’t make life so complicated.”
A fourth suggested, “If you lack motivation and no longer feel engaged in your work, it’s time for a change. You’re young, you have your whole future ahead of you, so take stock of what you enjoy doing and what you don’t enjoy, and find a job that aligns with your interests.”
Meanwhile, several others shared that they strongly related to the original poster’s sense of emptiness.
One commenter wrote, “This thread hits hard. I just got promoted to head of department level today, and by all metrics, I think I am doing decent for a 30-year-old, and I should be happy, but yet… I feel empty career-wise?”
“I don’t have any interests outside of work as well. Once the excitement of my new house is over, what else ahead can I be excited for? Feels like a symptom of an incoming midlife crisis.”
In other news, a woman shared on social media that she’s grown increasingly baffled and mildly alarmed by some of her friends who keep ‘joking’ that she should leave her money to their children when she dies.
“I am not even rich,” she said. “I work and own my own house and am not in debt other than the mortgage, and I probably will have very little left by the time I die, if I die of old age, but some friends keep ‘jokingly’ asking me to leave my money to their kid.”
