SINGAPORE: A 54-year-old man worries he has failed as a career role model for his child, having held 13 jobs over the years.
Sharing his story on Reddit’s ‘Singapore’ forum, he reflected on his winding career path—or lack of a stable one—while helping his youngest, a late teen, navigate their next steps after school.
“[In] retrospect, at 54, I realised I don’t have a career in the strictest sense of the word,” he said. “I have no career to speak of but job stints. No regrets, though. But I do feel a sting whenever my kids had their primary school ‘Parent job day’ and I had nothing to contribute”.
He also shared a bit about his background, writing, “I was a poly grad. Born in 1971. My family was poor, but we never starved. Lived in HDB rental 1-room unit.”
He then detailed his long and varied work history, listing every job he had held since his teenage years.
His employment journey spanned multiple industries and roles, from working part-time in fast food while still in school to factory work, sales, engineering, and even diving instruction.
Some jobs were physically demanding, some were high-paying, and others were simply opportunities that came his way at the time.
“I’m sure your child looks up to you and sees you as a role model”
Many people in the discussion thread were fascinated by his diverse work history. One individual said, “Stop selling yourself short. Drop that mentality bro. I read resumes for a living and I often stop within the first three sentences, but I got to the bottom for your case because your experience hooked me in”.
Another commented, “Wow, but I envy your life experiences. So rich. I have only been in 1 industry for 7 years so far. Not a lot of things to tell people about.”
A third chimed in with a heartwarming message, saying, “You kinda remind me of my dad too, coming from a child’s perspective, I’m sure your child looks up to you and sees you as a role model not because of you past job experiences but because of how you actually took them time to plan things out with them.”
Meanwhile, some users pointed out that his experience in the marine industry alone could be considered a solid career, even though he hadn’t stayed in one job for too long.
One user wrote, “I’m from marine industry and you’re definitely in the Marine industry, to be specific, in the marine dive industry. With your experience, can do GM for those dive company. Training, procurement and sales all can do.”
Another echoed this, stating, “You do not have a cookie cutter career. But you do still have marine focused career. Not everyone have to walk the same boring path”.
In other news, a man shared on social media that his retired uncle regretted being obsessed with “working, saving, and planning for retirement when he was younger, to the point where his life became routine and simple”.
In a post on the r/askSingapore Reddit forum, the man explained that his uncle had always been determined to secure a stable future. However, in doing so, he missed out on many of the simple pleasures that make life rich and enjoyable.
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)