“Retrenched. Where do I go from here?” — 31yo man asks as he wonders if there’s still hope

SINGAPORE: A 31-year-old man in the advertising and marketing industry who was retrenched in November 2023 turned to Singaporeans in an online forum for advice, as he does not feel hopeful about finding a job soon.

“I managed to get a contract job to tie me over until last month,” the writer said on Wednesday (April 3). “Now I’m ‘officially’ unemployed and doing Lalamove for pocket money while waiting to hear back from job applications.”

However, the man also shared, “After reading about the job market, can’t help but think that there’s no hope at all for at least a year.”

He then turned to Singaporeans for career advice. “Besides upskilling to switch careers, what else can I do?” he asked. “Is there a booming industry in this climate? Would appreciate any and all advice on where I (can) go from here.”

Singaporeans give unemployed man career advice

A handful of Singaporeans left the man some career advice. Some encouraged him to keep applying, while others suggested he try freelance work.

“I’m in a similar field,” said one. “What area are you in in advertising? Designers/copywriters can do freelancing quite easily and get paid quite a substantial amount (even though the income isn’t consistent).

Industry contacts/ex-colleagues might be able to hook you up with clients, but it also depends on the type of industry and type of writing as ChatGPT and Midjourney have changed the landscape quite a bit (I did very well freelancing on top of my daily job right before ChatGPT became mainstream).”

“Don’t give up,” encouraged another. “Keep applying and applying and applying.”

A third suggested, “Keep applying for temporary and contract jobs. I am sure there is an opening given your qualifications. Then upgrade to good institutions. If you have savings, then go for overseas travel for a few months.”

Others mentioned networking and even exploring other industries, with one even saying, “I say that you go and explore all the different industries. If you do marketing as you said, you should have no problems going into other industries.

Don’t be afraid to venture out of your safe zone at times like this. You never know what you might land a catch on.”

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