Man who'll enter workforce at 28 asks if he'll be 'too old to live the Singaporean dream?'

Independent Singapore

2 days ago

SINGAPORE: A young local Reddit user anxious about his future asked others if he would be 'too old to live the Singaporean dream' if he started working at the age of 27 or 28.
In a Monday (Jun 30) post on r/askSingapore, u/GamingAsset explained that he's 23 years old and on national service (NS), which will end next year. He will then head to university at 24 for an IT degree in fintech, which will take another four years.
By the time he joins the workforce, he will be 28, and then he will go into cybersecurity, which he originally specialised in. However, if he is able to skip some modules, he may be able to start working at 27.
'The reason why I'm taking a degree is because I feel it is required to climb higher in SG,' he added, but wondered if he started working at 27 or 28, he would be too old to achieve financial stability — his notion of the 'Singapore dream'.
He also expressed concern that rising living costs were 'making it even worse' and asked whether he should start working after NS or obtain a degree first.
'Ngl, I'm so lost on what to do,' he added.
When commenters asked him to define what he meant by Singapore dream, he wrote, 'Honestly, just have a condo and a nice car.'
The post author received a lot of advice from commenters, including one who wrote, 'It would be nicer if your dream isn't solely tied to just a materialistic goal. In the case you own these two, what then? Always have a backup goal, like what is your passion or hobby?'
'Seeing your comments for Singapore dream for you is to have a condo and a nice car… so basically live in debt? Doable if you save and invest well, you can easily achieve it after your degree within five to seven years. You're still young, learn about financial knowledge and invest what you earn in NS,' added another.
Other Reddit users sought to reassure him.
'I think you'll be absolutely fine,' wrote a commenter.
One added that everybody's timeline is different. 'Some people retire sooner, maybe you'll retire a little bit later. Who knows, maybe after a few years you'll start your own business and make significantly more, and can achieve your condo and nice car dream. Anything is possible here.'
Someone who appears to have many more years under their belt wrote, 'You're 23. You don't even realise how young you are. When you hit 30, you will think you're old. You are not. Same with 40.
'You have a long time to go and achieve your dreams and make your money. Don't worry about where you are compared to your peers; we're all on our own journey. You are right where you need to be.' /TISG
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