‘Two jobs, no life — Is this hustle culture or just slow suicide?’

SINGAPORE: For the past three months, a Singaporean has lived a life that many would call “extreme” and damaging. In an honest and very revealing post, the poster shared how he’s been working two full-time jobs nonstop — an exhausting 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. night shift, followed by a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. day job. That’s a full 24 hours of work with hardly time to breathe, and just one day off a week.

The motivation is financial independence. This Redditor is resolute in wiping out his financial liabilities, building up savings, and starting to invest. “I don’t see any chance of getting a job that pays S$4k to S$5k, let alone hitting the S$10k mark with just one job,” he wrote. “So, I’m working two jobs to beat that ceiling.”

Each month, when the salaries come in, there’s a sense of pride — a concrete prize for persistent determination, but the effect on the body and mind is obvious. “My body? It’s beaten, running on low battery. I look like I have cancer, pale, exhausted, like a zombie. I feel drained all the time,” he shared. Heart tremors, anxiety, and seclusion have become routine. “Is this sacrifice worth it?” he asked. “Has Singapore become like this?”

Empathy, tough love, and reality checks

One response zeroed in on the blatant health hazards: “How much sleep are you getting? Success amounts to nothing when your health suffers, and you can’t enjoy what you worked hard towards.” The commenter advised the original poster to re-examine his approach now that the debt has been settled, and to make rest and upskilling the priorities.

Another netizen provided a frank but vital reality check: “No, Singapore hasn’t ‘become like this’. It’s your own choice to live like this. You could’ve taken longer to clear your debt by working one job. This is not a success. This is self-destruction.”

A recurring theme emerged from the readers’ reactions — the difference between short-range gains and continuing sustainability. Many commented that dashing for a financial target without considering physical and mental well-being is a hazardous move. “This isn’t what success feels like, this is what stupidity feels like — something which will dawn on you when you’re lying in a hospital bed,” one Redditor said.

Others recommended a few options — upskilling, side hustles, or concentrating on building a single career path instead of grinding out two jobs in an unmanageable twist. “The aim isn’t to grab on to whatever money you can now. The aim is to build a life and career such that money finds you.”

When hustle culture turns toxic

Underneath the real-world advice and frank commentaries are deeper issues — the pressure of combating financial uncertainty and meeting societal expectations. The Redditor’s story resonates with many young adults who are stuck between stagnant salaries, escalating prices, and the craving to become financially independent.

However, as several netizens pointed out, forfeiting sleep, physical strength, mental well-being, and happiness for the sake of a somewhat quicker climb out of debt is not a sustainable or honourable path.

Success, one commenter said, isn’t about working yourself to death. “Job success is when you get paid to do nothing. When something goes wrong, you fix it to remind people why you’re paid highly.” It’s about leverage, not hundreds of hours worked.

To those grinding themselves into dust, one netizen asked – “Is this the life you want? Because if your body breaks down before you reach your goals, none of that money will matter.”

Sometimes, the most heroic act isn’t crushing through the pain — it’s stopping long enough to rebuild, re-evaluate, and pick a better path onwards.