Elle mag: "life is too short to waste on a job or career that kills your spirit
 

Elle mag: "life is too short to waste on a job or career that doesn't matter to you or that kills your spirit. Take charge and live!"


Yes, very nice on paper, but in reality we do jobs we hate and have no value at all in our career aspirations because we need the money, don't we?

I feel that the job market in other countries is much more diverse and you should be able to find a job somewhat related to what your really want to do; here majority of our jobs are administrative and don't require specialized skills.

Meaningless
 

My career aspirations as an top engineer of my field was extinguished by financial incentives offered in a high level management position.

In other words, I betrayed my real self for money.

I am quite wealthy and have time for leisure pursuits. But as the years go by, I wake up in the morning feeling more and more empty inside.

Apart for my family, my life has no meaning.

Well, as for me, I'm getting far less than my peers who left school at the same time, both pay-wise and grade-wise, and I also feel empty inside everyday because I do menial work that has no value at all. I would do anything to get a chance to do something meaningful for myself and the organization, but the way it works in singapore is to give opportunities to those younger or scholars. Those of us who started working later are so screwed.

Welcome to Singapore, guys...

Life is like that here. Even when you have money you will still have to worry about parents' health, kids' school grades, finding a parking lot...

Lots of people who finally earned their millions will realise that the view from up there is not much different.

have you seen that view yet?

That is a loaded question, brother. ;)

My career was doing OK until I get to report to a fugking American-Vietnamese boss. pui!

This is a really individual thing. Some people (let's take bankers as an example), choose to define themselves by their financial worth. For them, real pain would come from having a smaller car or house, not from having less time with family or making something they like.

I'm not going to pass judgement on the materialistic, because it's one of the more harmless ways that people define themselves. People have used stranger yardsticks to measure their own worth (religious fundamentalism for instance).

That said, I definitely take more joy in making things than in shuffling paper. I would rather wipe my ass with sandpaper than work for the bank. I may not make [B]as much[B], but the thing is, I still make enough. There's a difference between being practical, and being greedy.

Also, the nature of Singapore's job market gives me two huge advantages:

(1) Financial specialists are abundant. The competition amongst them is stronger, and they are easier to replace. If they get fired, they're f***ed. Let's see which other bank wants to employ the reject. And banks have a high turnover rate.

I, on the other hand, am nice and secure. My skill set is so specialized that no one is lined up to take my job.

(2) I don't need to kiss anyone's ass. Because if I up and leave, the whole project is screwed, or at least seriously delayed. But if a banker ups and leaves...just replace her lah! There must be dozens willing to take over the account.

I also have very specialized skills but in a field totally irrelevant with my career aspirations. My job is not growing me in any useful way and the market for those with my qualifications is small. How many science writer openings do you see in the job ads? So how?

Guess you'll just have to remain in your "specialised" job as a miserable grass cutter for life ..lor.. Y