join private sector. most of my peers in private sector making > SGD 10K per month by 34 - 35 in areas like private banking, trading, IT and even selling insurance. i myself am making > SGD 15K monthly at 34.

once you have built up knowledge, experience and contacts from the early days, private sector can be quite smooth sailing. why waste your youth in govt service unless you are a high flyer that can hit superscale by 34? some people i know in govt service are even more stressed out than me and earning much less.