SINGAPORE: A young diploma holder working as a technician in a construction company wanted to know what industry has the least amount of stress.
u/Savings-Constant7678 wrote on r/askSingapore that he’s wondering if the industry he’s working in now is really for him.
“I’m not yet an engineer but I see the senior engineers going through so much stress by going thru OT, handling so much projects, rushing deadlines etc,” he wrote, adding, “If I am to pursue this career in the future (my colleagues encourage me to do so) I don’t see myself being happy in the future in this line of work.”
He’s considering moving to the tech industry but has heard from others that “the grass is not always greener on the other side” and now feels “stuck in not knowing what I wanna pursue in the future”.
The post author added that he wants to have a 9-5 job that has less stress, acknowledging that stress is inevitable, but he just doesn’t want it to make his health deteriorate.
Some commenters told him that it’s not the industry but the role and boss one has within a company that determines how stressful life is for a worker.
“Every industry (y) has its own stresses. But within those industries, there are the less stressful roles. In my company, there are support roles and administrators. It’s a pretty chill job for those who just want to have a good time,” wrote one.
“This. it’s not the industry you are in. It’s the role that matters most. Or even more precisely, your boss,” chimed in another.
Others said that the manufacturing and engineering industry is not for everyone.
“When I first joined the industry, my colleagues told me that not many Singaporeans want to join this industry because of long working hours and environment, and also the salary u get for the long working hours you work is not proportionate which is true. And depending on your project, you may even need to do midnight work. Eventually, I left,” a commenter noted.
“As someone who comes from M&E / construction line previously, you are spot on in this industry culture and environment,” one agreed.
A Reddit user advised, “If you want a good work-life balance job in the built environment sector, then you can consider joining the govt engineering agencies: BCA LTA PUB JTC
These agencies’ scope of work includes but is not limited to being a client/project manager, conducting maintenance of infra, or as a regulator. Do note that govt also got a lot of admin/red tape, unlike the private sector…”
Another wrote, “Honestly, government jobs. Plenty of admin roles for diploma holder. Stress-free but very boring. You won’t have to worry about whether you’ll lose your job or not as long as you don’t fuck up and steal money or punch someone.”
/TISG