SINGAPORE: After working her way to a job that earns her about 4.5k a month, a 22-year-old woman took to an online forum on Tuesday (Jan 7) to share that she doesn’t quite know what she wants out of life.
Admitting her curiosity, the woman shared that she would wonder how most adults go about their lives. With questions such as “Do most adults work a 9 to 5 then go home and watch Netflix?” “Do they occasionally hang out with their friends for dinner every week or so?” “Does everyone want to save up 100k before their 30s?”, she couldn’t shake off one thing in particular — if there is indeed something more in life.
The woman shared some context into her life. “A little background on my past, I was quite rebellious in my teens. Got demoted from express to NA. Scored distinctions and went to PFP. Dropped out at year 0 and couldn’t apply to other local polys because I didn’t have an O-level cert. Took private O levels and took up a private diploma in Marketing. Somehow managed to get into SUSS and I’m currently taking a part-time degree in Marketing.”
She then shared how she climbed her way up, starting with a part-time role at healthcare to a full-time job earning 2.8k. “Jumped to another company and got promoted to a managerial role pretty quickly, earning about 3.8k a month. After about a year, got sick of management, YOLO-ed, resigned and took a 6-month break from working and recently got offered a role with the same job scope for 4.5k a month.”
Late realisations
Admittedly, she took up Marketing because of how well it pays, according to her peers. However, after taking her diploma, she realised that she wasn’t actually interested. “I realised I have zero interest in Marketing. I can’t take up other courses in SUSS as I was only offered Marketing due to my private diploma. Obviously not going to put my marketing degree to full use and only taking it because my mom said having a local degree will help in job hunting in the future.”
In the midst of these realisations, the young woman seems to be very aware that she has it good. “I live quite comfortably,” she said. “My parents pay for everything – from phone bills to education. There’s really nothing to complain about yet sometimes, I still find myself living from pay cheque to pay cheque due to my extravagant lifestyle. Travelling and when and taking grab to work daily. I do have some rainy day funds but I don’t want to eat into that.”
Sharing that she feels very “sian” with her life, she couldn’t help but compare how her other friends seem to know exactly what they want. “To be honest, I don’t even know if I like working in healthcare. I work mainly to only sustain my lifestyle. I only applied for roles in healthcare because my only experiences are in healthcare and it pays well. Seems like my friends all clearly know what they want – from being influencers to even starting businesses.”
This led her to ask Singaporeans on the forum how they knew what they want in life. “At which point or at what age did you finally know what you wanted to do in life? Do I just YOLO and go with the flow?”
Stepping up
After the post was published, she added a clarification regarding her lifestyle. “I’m definitely not complaining about my lifestyle. I realised that I haven’t been so independent with my parents supporting me and that isn’t exactly adulting. With that being said, I will start helping out within the family (paying utilities etc.) and start paying for my own phone bills. Start saving up more for emergency funds. Along with that, I’m also going to try volunteering and look to join new communities or hobby groups!”
Finding purpose
According to BetterUp, finding out what you want in life is part of finding your purpose. A lack of intention when it comes to finding your own answer to the question can often lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and a sense of being lost.
Figuring out what you want is important because it can influence your career path and help you get your life together. The first step is to reduce uncertainty about your future by answering critical questions about your life to help you uncover your desired trajectory and what makes you happy.