SINGAPORE: On Monday (Jan 20), a man attended a forum to express his disappointment with his marketing and sales roles. He compared his work to that of his wife, who reportedly now earns more than double his salary.
“What jobs are well-paying right now?” he asked. “I’m quite sick of front-end roles like marketing and sales. When the market is doing well, they hire like crazy. When the market is down, the first ones they cut are these people. I see my accountant wife making more than double my salary.”
He described his wife’s work as a work-functional role: “She just does her job and (leaves) every day. There is minimal disagreement with bosses… since you do your job, whereas in marketing or sales, you will always argue about strategy. It’s very easy to get into conflicts with your boss. When your boss is stupid, it affects your KPI; your boss will turn around and question why you didn’t hit it.”
A handful of people responded to the post, mentioning that jobs in the tech industry are known to be well-paying. “Although the market is kinda saturated now, tech still pays relatively better than most industries,” said one.
“I don’t know what kind of sales you are doing, but tech sales are still very high-paying, and you don’t have long hours either. But not everyone can get into it, and you need relevant experience,” another wrote.
Others shared their perspectives on working in various industries in Singapore. “Marketing is the worst job role ever,” said one. “You can’t convince me otherwise. There is always a horrid boss, horrid pay, and long working hours,” one added.
“Just because your wife as an accountant has it easy does not mean everyone in the same field has it that way. You are not even doing an apple-to-apple comparison,” said another.
Still, one commenter suggested, “How about marketing and sales in a different industry instead? Those jobs have the best earning opportunities, don’t they? Accountants have a more slow and steady increase.”
According to Marriage.com, partners can handle one partner earning more than the other in several ways. With finances playing a crucial role in relationships, couples must navigate such issues healthily. Talking about finances openly, setting joint financial goals, and budgeting together can help. It is also a good idea to focus more on each person’s contribution to the relationship instead of comparing how much money each brings in. After all, effort must also be put into housework, errands, and emotional support.
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