‘They’re 10x better’: NUS student shares struggle as ‘average’ peers outperform them at internships

SINGAPORE: A top university student shared their disappointment online after realising that their average peers had outperformed them in internships.

“I’m not going to lie, it sucks seeing B students during my internships doing 10 times better and progressing much faster, then landing multiple top-tier jobs afterwards seemingly with ease,” they wrote on Reddit’s r/asksg forum. “I’m not trying to bring down their achievements, but it does feel like my own efforts / academic achievements went down the drain.”

In their post, the student from the National University of Singapore said they consistently ranked within the top five to 10 per cent of their cohort across two degrees. They often did well without needing to put in long hours of study, which had given them a lot of confidence in their abilities.

However, this success didn’t seem to carry over into the workplace. 

“I consider myself really good in school, but when it comes to work, I really cannot make it. As a result, I don’t have many results or achievements in my internships to show on my resume, making it hard to land better jobs or answer interview questions.”

They added, “It feels weird to me because despite them doing average in school, they seem to be able to apply the concepts learnt much better during interview questions and complex work tasks.” 

“Meanwhile, I tend to struggle with practical stuff but do well in theoretical. So my colleagues think I am very knowledgeable, with great ideas that can be applied, but I fall apart when actually implementing them.”

Trying to make sense of it all, they turned to Reddit to ask if others have seen similar cases and where people like this usually end up career-wise.

“Do you know people like that, and where do they end up in their careers? Is there anything that can be done to rectify this? I’m graduating soon with a median salary in my course,” they wrote.

“No one starts out at a job knowing everything.”

The post drew dozens of responses from Singaporean Redditors, many of whom shared their own experiences or offered practical advice. 

Several users reassured the student that struggling during the early stages of a career is completely normal.

One explained, “The reason things feel painful now is that you haven’t gotten used to pain in a long while, so you find that the world of work is really tough. But once you get the hang of what you need to do and where you are most likely to excel, you’ll be able to move pretty well.” 

“Do note that it can take many years until you reach this stage, and before that, you may probably be wondering what the heck happened to you and where that gifted person went.”

Another commented, “It isn’t the end of the world; land your first job with decent benefits and build up your career from there. No one starts out at a job knowing everything. You will fumble a few times, but the most important thing is that you are able to learn from your mistakes and get stuff done.”

Others, however, were more straightforward, telling the student that their frustration may stem from a sense of entitlement.

The top comment of the post read, “The problem with many Singaporeans, including yourself, is that you all feel entitled to getting a better job and having a whole career parachuted just because you achieved good academic results.”

They added, “When I interviewed so many local uni students, many of them were so entitled and lacked the passion or desire to succeed. Always the vibe you get is, ‘Ok, I’m a local uni. I need to get this range of salary, flexible working, blah blah.’” 

“When I ask them, ‘How do you deliver value to the business? ‘ They get tongue-tied. Or any detailed question, they get stuck because they do not want to know the fundamental, but only the surface and work at the ‘manager’ level with no depth, with minimum competency.”

Another Redditor advised the student to focus on truly understanding their work. “Most people don’t perform at their jobs because they fundamentally do not understand the function of their position,” they said. 

“What is the function of your position on a team and, by extension, the organisation? If you can answer that beyond the boundaries of your daily tasks and ‘job scope,’ you can begin to apply yourself in a meaningful way. Or find a place that you are willing to apply yourself to meaningfully.”

In other news, a husband’s social media post has drawn widespread sympathy from netizens after he opened up about the emotional pain he has been quietly enduring in a deeply distressing marriage.

In a post on the NUSWhispers Facebook page, the man confessed that he had lost his support system as his wife had slowly “cut him off from his parents and siblings.”

Read more: Singapore husband says he ‘lost himself’ in abusive marriage, seeks advice