SINGAPORE: When your partner decides to ditch his 9-to-5 in favour of “own time own target” behind the wheel of a Grab car, is that the start of a brave new life—or a financial slow crash into the void?
A Singaporean woman is now wondering if she should reverse out of her 3-year relationship after her boyfriend, 26, revealed he wants to quit his MNC job to become a Grab car driver and do odd jobs instead. The couple, both earning around S$3,000 a month, signed for a BTO that’ll arrive in four years. But with his career change plans revving up, she’s hitting the brakes.
“He has been bringing this up and discussing it with me for the past 5 months,” she wrote in a now-viral post. “He said he plans to take on many shifts a day to aim to hit S$4K a month, but I feel sceptical,” she added.
Her worry is not just the money. It’s him. During the WFH (work from home) period, she says he mostly “lazed around at home, playing games and watching Netflix.” That, plus just one month’s salary in savings (the rest in stock investments), makes her fear she’ll become the sole breadwinner—derailing her own entrepreneurial dreams.
“I want to start my own business… but if I were to be the sole breadwinner, a lot of my money would go to the house and I would not have enough capital,” she explained.
Although he’s been transparent and asked for her support, the uncertainty has her considering the permanent breakup lane.
“Grab car driving is not shameful. What’s shameful is not having enough money…”
From a Facebook post/comments to the recent Redditor’s r/SingaporeRaw post and Singapore Uncensored (who first reported the story), commenters zoomed in on what’s really at stake: From the job challengers to values, lifestyle alignment, and the ever-spicy Grab car driver stereotype.
One wrote: “Discipline, commitment, and motivation are very important. If no discipline to wake up early and go out… then it’s best to just stick to the office job.”
Work as GRAB Driver very shameful meh? Gf thinking of leaving her Bf after he told her he might wanna be GRAB Driver
byu/sifu_yuu inSingaporeRaw
Another Singaporean added: “You sound like a woman who wants her husband to be on the same level as you… nothing wrong with that. But maybe he is not a good match for you… Don’t get married yet.”
Some even suspected the guy had hit financial freedom: “For all we know, the boyfriend might have already obtained CoastFI status [since he’s been investing in stocks] and is now testing his girlfriend. She should probably first figure out what his financial portfolio really is,” one wrote.
Others, though, didn’t hold back with their words: “At 26 and still lazy? You expect to depend on him for your family?” another wrote.
And this one cut straight through: “Grab car driving is not shameful. What’s shameful is not having enough money.”
“There’s no shame in any job. But there’s shame in wasting your life away…”
The public split between passion and practicality is on full display. Some championed his freedom to escape toxic corporate life, while others questioned the logic of taking such a leap with a BTO on the horizon.
One Redditor nailed the philosophical crux: “There’s no shame in any job. But there’s shame in wasting your life away.”
And this hard truth landed: “It’s not about the job. If a rich billionaire quits his job to be a Grab car driver, the girl will support him wholeheartedly. Because he is still a rich billionaire.”
“If he wants a simple life, find a simple girl…”
So it’s really about the drive in someone that makes the car move. It’s not just about the car—but the internal engine that makes a person push forward, be reliable, and plan long-term with a partner. Whether you’re in an MNC, SME, or behind a wheel, the key issue is trust—on both sides.
But then, for one Singaporean: “If I’m the BF, I get rid of her first. He wants a simple life—find a simple girl.”
Until then, the steering wheel—and the steering of this relationship—remains firmly in question. Perhaps, both of them can take some pointers from another Singaporean who made his Grab riding earn him six figures and live in a 1.4 million villa in JB.
Until then, the steering wheel—and the steering of this relationship—remains firmly in question.
Perhaps, both of them can take some pointers from another Singaporean on how he made his Grab riding work to his success, earning him six figures while living in a RM1.4 million (S$400K) villa in JB over here: Singaporean Grab rider shares how he earns six figures and lives in a RM1.4 million villa in Johor Bahru
