SINGAPORE: A 24-year-old university student took to social media to express his concerns about the challenging job market that awaits him after graduation.
In his heartfelt post on the online forum r/SingaporeRaw, the student opened up about how he still had no savings at his age and how ‘depressing’ it was to look at the job market.
He also noted frequent retrenchments and the sheer number of highly competent and impressive individuals competing for jobs.
“I feel like struggling like this in SG is not worth it and is exhausting. After studying so much, [I’ll probably] become a phv or delivery man. Bruh, what’s the point, man.”
He also mentioned that his prospects for finding a job were slim since he would only have his diploma, lacked leadership roles in school, and participated in non-competitive extracurricular activities.
He believes these credentials are far less impressive than those of his peers.
Realizing how grim his future seemed, he admitted that he had thought of giving it all up and just “moving to some village and having some peace and quiet.”
However, this plan never came to fruition, as his parents stepped in and told him to ‘keep hustling’ instead. “Everyday is a torture. Everything is so expensive and competitive.. Maybe I am just stupid.”
“Whatever you are feeling now, it is temporary”
In the comments section, Singaporean Redditors showered the student with words of encouragement, reminding him to stay strong and keep pushing forward, just like his parent’s advised.
They assured him that his current struggles were only temporary and that all his hard work would pay off in the end.
One Redditor said, “This is from my direct experience: Whatever you are feeling now, it is temporary. That’s the nature of our emotions. There are times when everything looks hopeless and you feel nothing but despair.
And then days years later, you look back and you realize that it was actually not that bad.
I assure you, however bad it feels, it really isn’t the case. Appreciate the small things. Live one moment at a time. Stick with it. Don’t give up.”
Another Redditor offered a virtual hug and words of comfort, writing:
“Hang in there. Don’t give up. Try to take joy in the little things, like walking along the park, eating your favorite food, listening to nice music, etc.; count the small joys, like being thankful for good health, etc.
I hope you don’t give up. Life will be tough when you are studying, then working, etc., but there will also be good things worth looking forward to. hang in there.”
A few Redditors also shared their personal journeys to inspire him to forge ahead.
One Redditor commented, “When I’m your age, I just got out of the army, I have no savings, my parents have no money to support me for university, and I enter the work force starting with 1.8k.
Now I’m 31, paying for my own degree at a private university (although not prestigious) and making 3.9k. I accept my fate; I’m not the super smart or outstanding worker. But this salary is still able to support my life at this point.”
Another shared, “Start small. Don’t expect too much from your first job, When I was your age, my pay was $1700 (2018). Now I earn $4700 from my technician job (diploma level only).
I also managed to complete my part-time degree recently and took my last exam paper when I was 7 months pregnant. Skills are learned; you haven’t started anything and want to give up?”
Aside from the students, job seekers have been expressing concerns about the tough job market on online platforms lately, noting that despite sending out numerous applications to companies online, they haven’t landed a job.
In January, a Singaporean shared on an online forum that out of over 50 job applications sent, they received only 2 callbacks.
Read related: Jobless S’porean sends out 50+ job applications but receives only 2 calls, asks if job market “really bad right now?”
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