‘Hate your job? So why are you still there every Monday?’

SINGAPORE: It began with a simple admission on Reddit: “I work in internal audit, but lately it’s becoming obvious to me that I don’t love it. At all.” The user went on to explain that he had selected accounting for security and stability, values that once offered ease and well-being, but now, it feels more like he’s in chains. “Should I at least like what I am doing, so I would have the motivation to excel and climb the corporate ladder? Or should I find something else exciting to do?” the Redditor asked.

It was a vulnerable yet authentic moment that hit a nerve. Several netizens, strangers to each other, weighed in, not with answers or explanations, but with solidity and cohesion.

The price of staying

One netizen shared his nine-year stint in a job he detested, holding on for the salary. Ultimately, the effects on his body and mind became unbearable. “Recently just resigned for the sake of physical and mental health.”

Another echoed that feeling of resignation with a more exhaustive account — six years in a turf for which he never really felt well-matched, suffering lack of sleep, body pains, digestive problems — all while trying to gather the courage and the energy to plan an exit. “It’s almost by design,” he said, “that the system makes sure you don’t have leeway or time to look for something else.”

It’s an inaudible, everyday burnout many Singaporeans know too well — trapped in roles that pay the bills but weaken the spirit.

Different jobs, same dilemma

Others from totally diverse industries — from graphic design to PR, tech to marketing — have the same gloomy feeling: Is this it?

One marketing expert, worn out and disenchanted, put it without the sugar-coating: “There is no meaning in the work I do.” This netizen labelled his industry as one gradually being outdone by AI and low-priced labour, with social media drives that require huge creative effort yet die out into the void because of user lethargy. “The input vastly outweighs the outcome. Engagement numbers are faked anyway.”

An ex-graphic designer shared her story of signing up for a small company, only to find out that the whole team had resigned before her. They weren’t just designing — they were doing admin tasks, stocktaking, and printing. They ultimately stopped working to go freelance. “If freelance wasn’t an option,” she admitted, “I would’ve stayed just for the security.”

The rationalisation game

However, not everybody craves exhilaration or meaning from their work. “I’d rather my job be repetitive than constantly ambiguous and changing,” said one Redditor working in strategy and tech. Fatigued from endless office politics and changing expectations, he yearned for predictability. “I don’t define myself by my work. I just wish I had a stable, repetitive job so I can enjoy life outside of work.”

Another netizen shared a realistic stance: “I don’t like my job anymore. I used to be passionate about tech… Now I’m passionate about my family and the money that helps them live comfortably.” For this Redditor, the job had become transactional. No love, just common needs.

Should you like your job?

The original poster’s query — whether he should relish his job enough to want to shine — doesn’t come with a common answer. For some, contentment and self-actualisation come from work itself. For others, it’s the life that work permits them to create and then build outside of office hours.

However, what’s evident from the reactions is this — staying in a job that leaves you feeling exhausted, depleted, apathetic, or “unseen” is a skirmish many are silently fighting. Whether it’s the apprehension of uncertainty, no time to plan an exit, or merely the math of enduring an excessively expensive world, the choice to stay or leave isn’t just about passion. It’s about survival.

Nonetheless, the most compelling takeaway from the thread came not from a sophisticated piece of advice, but from the tone of the post itself – if you’re feeling stuck, you are not alone!