SINGAPORE: After nine years in the workforce, one 32-year-old Singaporean woman who’s earning S$4,000 a month says she’s “tired, burnt out, and wants to quit.”
“I’ve checked out so badly, [and] I think me saying I wanna quit has even made my body wanna quit whenever I think about going to the office,” she wrote in her post on a local forum, adding, “I’ve been sick like twice since the year started, and the first time was 2 Jan itself. I don’t know what kind of reverse manifestation this is.”
As much as she wants to hand in her resignation, however, she can’t do so yet because she and her husband just bought a resale HDB flat together.
“I am renting one room out, which does cover part of my mortgage, and I’ve recently just started a home-based nail salon, and I’ve gotten some clients, but not enough to sustain fully yet. I do have about $20k in cash and investments saved up.”
Still, despite having something to fall back on, the woman admitted that she’s still hesitant to be unemployed at her age.
She added that she’s also unsure whether her savings can even cover all of her daily expenses in the long run.
Seeking perspectives, she asked her fellow Singaporeans: “I guess what I wanna know is if anyone has gone through something similar or if you have any thoughts on my situation, and what would you do if you were in my situation?”
“I’m exactly like you. Same age, same pay range, burnt out as hell.”
The post, which has received 368 upvotes and 198 comments, unexpectedly became a safe haven for those who were going through the same thing.
One shared, “Going through something similar. This year marks my 9th year with the company. I’m sick of my job too, but I’m enduring it a while longer to pay off the remaining mortgage on my 2-room BTO. Like you, I want to be my own boss and have already made plans and am transitioning towards that.”
Another commented, “I’m 32 too, worked 10 years, earning about the same as you. I quit my job at the end of last year because my health was consistently bad, and despite going to doctors, the condition improved waaay too slowly. I saved about the same as you, but I don’t have a flat at all. Still job hunting.”
A third said, “I’m exactly like you. Same age, same pay range, burnt out as hell. Except I was let go from my job. I’m pretty depressed, still job hunting, and will probably do part-time for a while to stay afloat.”
A fourth added, “Hey, I’m in a very similar situation as you, including being burnt out on my day job and having a home-based nail salon (except without the savings lol). The reason why I’m still sticking with my full-time job is the stability, CPF contribution, and healthcare benefits.”
Most millennials are burnt out
Based on the Reddit post alone, it’s evident that many millennials are close to giving up their bread-and-butter for a bit of a breather, and honestly, this is a valid reaction.
Their generation has been burnt out for the longest time. Yellowbrick, a psychiatric facility, conducted a survey of over 2,000 millennials and found that over 96% of them experience burnout on a daily basis, with 61% feeling compelled to work extra hours or overtime.
A quarter of this demographic also confessed to working outside of regular hours multiple times each week, while 62% reported feeling the need to be constantly reachable via phone, email, or Slack.
Additionally, the insurance firm Aflac released a report in 2024 focusing on mental health and the well-being of employees, and its results showed that 66% of millennials reported experiencing “moderate” or “high” levels of burnout, in contrast to 60% of Generation X, 56% of Generation Z, and 39% of baby boomers.
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