“How will I ever catch up in this rat race?” — Man earning S$5K after 3 years in the company disappointed that fresh grads are offered more

SINGAPORE: A man took to social media on Friday (Sept 27) to share how disappointed he felt when he found out that the salary he had worked so hard to achieve over the past three years was still less than what many fresh graduates just joined the company are earning.

In a post on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, he opened up about his journey. When he started his job during the pandemic, he earned $4,000 in a non-tech role at a tech company—a figure he thought was pretty decent given the difficult economic conditions and competitive job market.

However, over the years, he received only modest raises despite his commitment and hard work, reaching S$5,000 only after his recent promotion.

His disappointment grew when he realized the starting salary for many fresh graduates who recently joined the company is at least or over S$5,000.

Feeling conflicted about the situation, he asked the community, “How will I ever catch up in this rat race? Do I really have to job hop?” he asked. “I love my job, work culture, work-life balance & team. The only thing is the pay,” he added.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

In the comments section, many Singaporean Redditors urged him to focus on his own career progression rather than dwelling on the salaries of fresh graduates. One Redditor stated, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Other Redditors pointed out that his current salary of S$5,000 isn’t bad at all and that he’s even lucky to be in a position with a positive work culture and a good work-life balance, which not everyone has the privilege of enjoying.

One Redditor asked, “Genuine question– is S$5k not enough to fund your current lifestyle?

Unless you feel you are grossly underpaid for your role and range of duties, there is little need to ‘catch up in this rat race’. That you love your job, work culture, work-life balance & team… many people dream of having that, and those things are not guaranteed in another job.”

Another commenter noted, “You are already at median income within 3 years of graduating; learn to be satisfied or else you’ll spend the next 40 years comparing and being unhappy.”

A third Redditor chimed in, “Lol don’t need to compare leh. My starting pay as a degree holder was 2.2 only leh back in 2015. You started at 4 very good liao.”

Still, a few empathized with the man and suggested he consider “job hopping” if he’s determined to earn a higher salary.

One Redditor shared, “I graduated at the same time as you; I remember how bad the job market was. Everyone was lowballing, companies offering skillsfuture contracts, etc. We got it rough la, then 2022 came, and suddenly there was a mega hiring spree and we were too late.

In our case, we need to job-hop. I did so twice already since 2021, and the pay bumps were drastic.”

Read also: ‘I’m alone and lonely’: Man reveals he saved over S$3 million, but it came at the expense of his relationships

Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)