Now that I finally found a job, I ought to be very happy. However, I am actually having mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I’m glad that I found an ideal job in an ideal industry. On the other hand, having found a job means that I now have to re-think about my future plans.
I had initially wanted to get a high-paying job in an investment bank or in the government sector so that I can save as much as I can in the first few years of my career. Then, the plan is to get married, have children and save enough to take a masters degree overseas – where I will be able to get a new job and relocate away from Singapore.
I really have to re-think my plans now… not that much has changed but with my current salary, it might take longer to reach my goals. And it is not always about myself – I also have to think about my significant other… this morning HDB launched unsold flats for sale and the neighbourhood where my family got an en-bloc replacement flat in is available for selection… albeit at a price much, much higher than what we paid during the en-bloc exercise.
I called to tell her about it and she asked if we should apply for one… sigh. She knows I have plans to relocate and she is not opposing it, but looking at the way things are, I guess it’s a case of whether we should “resign to our fate” and get a HDB flat, or to hold out for a better tomorrow, whenever it may come.
Comments are welcome.
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Personally, I haven’t had any encounter with any high paying job that will allow me to migrate.
I’ve met people from all walks of life in different levels of the corporate ladder who just want a better quality of life.
I’ve tried saving as much as I could but the savings never seem to be able to reach the amount I have plan for. Thus, I’m looking at other options that will be my backup income.
I hope that you will find a way to have that dream of yours fulfilled.
Sigh. I’ve just been calculating how much I can save over the next few years and how much I will need to commit for things like marriage, children and housing… it seems that after all these commitments, there won’t be much money left to save.
How can I go for MBA and migration if I don’t climb up the ladder quickly or earn a FAR better income? I really should start thinking about backup income as well.
Thanks for your well wishes and I hope you find what you want too. Singapore is just not a place where people can earn a comfortable living and have enough to save for the future.
Mr Biao, many fresh graduates are in the same boat or maybe thinking the same as you.
I think your generation, despite the progress and prosperity around compared to the past, are having a worse time due to the erosion of purchasing power compared to the past. Just look at salary levels and the property prices!
Indeed. The fallacy is that older people (both our own elders as well as the government leaders) tend to think that young people nowadays have it so much better than people in the past.
If we really think about it — making a living today is really more difficult than it was, say, maybe 10 years ago. True, salaries in absolute $ value today are higher today, but so is the cost of living.
I stay in an area that can be considered the slums of Singapore and so property prices in this area for the past 20 years have been amongst the lowest in Singapore. Today we are looking at $300k for a 4-room flat in this area. My mom is nagging at me to buy a flat for my future family – I cannot imagine spending $300k on public housing — equivalent to nearly 15 years’ of my take home pay today.
hi
u might want to get a flat that you can service with your CPF…so that u dont have totouch cash…in the event when u are ready to migrate, u can still do so and rent out the flat…
but again, your thinking might change next few years, when u get married, have kids, need to take care of elderly etc…these might cause u to stay put afterall…
I hate to dampen ur hopes but I think it is looking more likely that you won’t be able to get out of here, unless you get posted somewhere by your job.
Getting out is not a cheap move, it will be painful in the short run. But that’s the problem with us, instant gratifications always seem to weigh more than longer term benefits.
There is a very good video on “time management” by the deceased Prof Randy Pausch. You can find it on youtube. In it, he says, time is our most precious commodity. Money? It can be earned back. You lose your next 3 years to looking for a safe way to get out, you will never get it back again. You lose your whole life to indecision or subjecting the decision to a matter of “circumstances”…you will also never get it back again…
Hope you find the courage to go after what you truly want in life for you and your beloved other half.
I am a Singaporean currently leaving and working in London. In fact, I just got my British Citizenship a month ago and I will be relinquishing my SG one soon.
From my experience, I think a quicker way to move out of Singapore is to work for a multi-national company then look for a posting out of Singapore.
Do note that when I left Singapore, I did not intend that it will be for good but now I’m glad I made the move.
As for your plans to get married, have kids then relocate, I personally thing it’s better to relocate first before you have kids. You are more mobile without children, relocation cost (flight, housing, schooling etc) are much lower.