Exhausted young Asian man taking a nap at work
Fresh grad earning S$6.5k a month wonders if climbing the corporate ladder is really worth it
SINGAPORE: A 25-year-old fresh graduate has already begun questioning the idea of “climbing the corporate ladder,” just three months into his working life.
The man took to Reddit on Thursday (Aug 25) to share his experience, saying he started his first job in June after graduating from one of Singapore’s Big Three universities.
With a basic monthly salary of S$6,500 and total compensation of around S$105,000 a year, he acknowledged that he was “fortunate” to have secured a well-paying role straight out of university.
Yet, despite the attractive pay, he is beginning to wonder whether the money is enough to justify the hours and lifestyle that come with the job.
According to him, he works from around 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on most weekdays and is required to be fully in the office.
By the time he gets home, there is little time left for anything else.
“By the time I reach home, it’s basically dinner, shower, sleep, repeat,” he wrote.
The demanding schedule has also meant giving up much of the freedom he enjoyed at university.
“I used to gym regularly, meet friends spontaneously, and travel whenever uni allowed. Now even finding time for the gym feels like something I have to schedule for the weekend.”
‘How much is the extra money actually worth?’
The long hours have also made him somewhat envious of friends who chose less lucrative but more relaxed jobs.
He said some of his friends can work from home, finish on time, and, when there is little left to do, even leave the office an hour before their official end time.
“There are days where they’re already at the gym or having dinner while I’m still sitting in the office. Obviously the trade-off is that I earn more, but lately I’ve been wondering how much that extra money is actually worth.”
Looking at the people above him in the organisation has done little to reassure him.
In fact, he said it appears that the demands only increase as employees move further up the corporate ladder.
“My manager works even longer hours juggling multiple workstreams, while his boss seems to spend his entire day rushing between meetings and putting out fires,” he wrote.
“Everyone above me earns exponentially more, but they also seem to have exponentially less time.”
The only positive thing, he added, is that the people he works with have been kind to him.
“I actually like my team and manager. They’re supportive and willing to teach me.”
Despite this, he admitted that he was already feeling anxious about what his future might look like if he continued down the same path.
“A few months into working life and I’m already questioning the whole ‘climb the corporate ladder’ mindset,” he said.
“I’m single with no kids and already feel stretched — genuinely no idea how people do this with a spouse, children and other responsibilities.”
Seeking perspectives, he asked the online community: “For those further into your careers: did you eventually get used to this, deliberately choose a lower-paying job for better WLB, or just accept that this is the trade-off for earning more in Singapore?”
‘No salary is worth working 12 hours a day’
To help the fresh graduate make up his mind, several users shared their own experiences of what it was like to earn a higher salary at the expense of their mental health, personal time, and relationships.
One Redditor recalled earning S$160,000 a year while working a “996” schedule. He said the demanding hours eventually took a toll on him, causing him to “break down” multiple times and miss many important events with family and friends.
He and his wife even found themselves going on dates “even less than when they were dirt poor.”
“My bosses thought my sleeping without my phone ringer on is 'questionable ', and somehow they think responding to texts at 4am in the morning as they do is what I should aspire to climb towards. Pretty sure I spent all that extra money on therapy instead.”
The user eventually left the job for a strict five-day, 9 a.m.-to-6 p.m. “behind-the-scenes” non-managerial role, which he described as “a blessing.”
Another Redditor shared a similar experience, saying they had previously earned a salary in the mid-S$5,000 range but eventually quit because they felt they had “no life.”
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“At night and on weekends, I was still thinking about the job. I had [plenty of] money but no time to spend with family. Now earning mid-S$2,000. Happy to go. There’s less money, but now I can spend time with my wife and kid.”
A third user added, “For me, no salary is worth working 12 hours a day, and that excludes even travelling time. Assuming one hour each to and fro work. That's 14 hours a day, not even counting your prep time for work. Dude, you barely even have time to do anything besides sleep and work.”
Still, some believed the grind was worth it in the long run. One user, who described himself as an older worker with years of experience in the workforce, offered a different view.
“To lend some perspective, I did burn out earning a high salary between my 30s and 40s. That said, it was worth it. That salary afforded me the down payment for my home and renovations.”
“The rest of my mortgage is covered as I rent out my spare rooms. I have since taken a 40% cut from my salary to be a freelance consultant, and I'm living a much simpler lifestyle. What I'm saying is do a mini FIRE. Make enough to get all your necessities covered: shelter, savings...insurance.”/TISG