SINGAPORE: After hearing that some fresh grads are earning S$10,000 a month, a Singaporean man took to social media to ask, “How common are $10k salaries in Singapore?”
On Thursday (Feb 27), he shared on the r/askSingapore subreddit that he heard this from his friends who recently graduated from a local university.
“From what I’ve gathered, finance, tech, and law seem to be the most common paths to these salaries, but I’d love to hear firsthand experiences,” he wrote.
“For example, I know some software engineers in MNCs and FAANG-level companies who hit $10k within 5–7 years, while others in finance (IB, PE, consulting) can get there even faster. But on the other hand, it seems much tougher in industries like marketing, media, or government roles,” he added.
He then turned to the online community, asking how long it took for those earning $10,000 or more to reach that level and what factors contributed the most.
“[Is it] experience, industry, job-hopping, or something else? And for those still working towards it, what strategies are you using to accelerate your salary growth? Would love to hear different perspectives!” he wrote.
“Industry and role is the most important I think.”
In the comments section, several Reddit users warned him not to believe everything he hears from others or sees on social media.
One user said, “People can easily lie, it isn’t a true representation of how much and average middle-class Singaporean earns.”
Another commented, “As a fresh grad? Very unlikely. Some industries might give it, but it’s unlikely ALL YOUR FRIENDS are in the same industry.
“One thing you have to keep in mind is local culture and ‘face’. A lotta people love to brag about big salaries because it looks impressive, so they might either be lying or ’round up’ their salary.”
However, not everyone dismissed the idea outright. Some users confirmed that fresh graduates can indeed earn S$10,000 or more per month but emphasized that this is typically limited to certain industries and roles
One Redditor wrote, “Industry and role is the most important I think, as you’ve alluded to. A fresh grad in finance who landed an investment role in a good firm can get S$10,000 right off the bat. But these roles are very demanding with long hours, and intense competition.”
Several Redditors also shared their own experiences in reaching this salary milestone. One user revealed that it took them a decade to earn S$10,000 per month, adding, “I started at S$1,800. Mainly due to job hopping and recently, luck – Colleague left and I used it to negotiate for 30% increment.”
Another said, “It took me slightly under 5 years, 3rd job, started as a fresh grad $4,000/month. Non tech, non finance. Sales in consumer goods. Every year I stayed, I received 3-4%; I then take that and hop over to a new job that can bump me up by at least 40%-50% more.
“The key is to jump, and ask for the most percentage that you can at the early stages, because in absolute value it’s not a lot for the company when you are a junior.”
In other news, a Singaporean employee confessed on social media that he “endured 11 months of severe workplace bullying” when he was financially strapped and unable to leave the job.
Posting on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, on Sunday (Feb 23), the employee revealed that the bullying began during his second year at the company, with the primary instigator being his own “extremely temperamental boss”. According to his account, his boss made it clear that he did not like him and made his professional life unbearable.
Read more: ‘I endured 11 months of workplace bullying when I was financially strapped’ — Employee
Featured image by freepik (for illustration purposes only)