fresh biz grad, do not know what career is for me out there.

-unable to sit still for long in desk
-hates details, loves big picture
-prefers planning over impromptu
-not exactly a sales person

advance thanks for any predecessor who has same traits and found a position that helps!

James

A person who cannot grapple with details cannot be a good planner. This inconsistency in what you claimed your traits are showed that you are quite screwed.

You can try toto.

you sound a bit like me. most standard corporate environment roles are not for you. unfortunately this rules out a lot of potential jobs. plus you studied biz, which is totally against your personality type.

Well, you are only a fresh grad, and a biz graduate at that so you would need to start off with a few compromises...

Nobody is gonna let you plan the big picture if you don't understand nor care for the small details.

Finally managed to secure a job offer today after many months of job hunting. Will put pen to paper this week before starting my new role. Thanks to all brothers and sisters for your support and encouragement in the forum during my low period. To those who are unemployed, don't give up easily, stay optimist and persevere till the end.

I would like to share my experiences. Worked in a big accounting firm. Stressed, can't sleep. Quit due to deteriorating health. Almost made me cuckoo and depressed.

No job for over a year and little money. Desperate, went straight to sales of any kind. Became thick skin and thick face. Could not care how my ex colleagues or friends perceive me. Also become very humble over time.

Quit sales job, and.....became a nurse. Again many were shocked. I was once a money hungry, investment banker wannabe. Of cause I would never be a nurse in Singapore for long. Just get qualifications in Poly, did my 3 years experience in Singapore and left for Australia.

6 years ago in Australia now. I never regretted changing careers and what is claimed as wasted my finance/accounting degrees. Those knowledge allowed me to invest and save wisely, earn a AUD78,000 per annum AFTER tax income from a very safe nursing job. Started at about 55kAUD after tax 6 years ago. Now I'm AUD600k net assets. Typical savings about 35k-45k AUD a year, lived in a rented room with all bills paid for 6 years. Typical expenditure per 4 weeks now is AUD1200. But I'm earning 6k per 4 wks now.

Moving into a fully paid AUD600k apartment. Cut down working hours to 24 hours a week and enjoying the life. I still get about 4.5k after tax per 4 weeks.

Bottom line, be practical and though I do not love nursing, I did it because it is a safe job, where I do not need to be "unethical", just do your job, finish your shift, go home happy. It is never a respected job anyways even here in Australia. Many do not want to be a Nurse. That'w why a lot of shifts and demand for you will always be high. Do it for $$$. Once ya stable, u can always choose to becoming a doctor if u are smart enough to gain entry. But ya still need $$$ first.

So for those out there jobless, I do hope that this route might give you inspiration. I'm certain I'll be a millionaire in 4 years working 24 hours a week.. Be thrifty at least for your first 5 years. There are a lot of work for Nurses here in Australia, if u choose to make 200k AUD a year, its your choice. JUST make sure you've gained 3 years nursing experience first here in Singapore.

Good for u. Just couldn't tally up the numbers. For example, you said your savings was typically AUD35k -AUD45k per year, then after 6 years, you have AUD600k. And now you worked 24 hours work week, and your wages dropped to AUD4.5k per month(4 weeks), and now you are expecting to grow your savings to AUD1m in just another 4 years!

I think it is more meaningful to share your investment secrets. It seems more lucrative than your nursing job.

Ok this is how I did it together with saving and INVESTING my money. All I know that, if I sell everything I've got, I would have 600k AUD net cash.

I had about 50k SGD in mid 2008. I'm a good saver, while jobless sometimes only 300 bucks a month expenditure. Stay at home play computer games etc..all utilities then were paid by dad hehee...

2008-mid june-stock market crashed while just arrived in Australia, bought with dollar cost avg a mixture of US financials ETF, individual US financials. Also bought simply very safe Singapore stocks e.g. SGX, singpost, all those decent dividend ones. I'm not a guru in stocks, so I kept buying with whatever SG leftover money I have over the months. Reinvest all dividends. Never bothered about fundamental or technical analysis. However, been good in basic macro economics such as interest rates, inflation etc..I think like a biz man..no need degree. If u like a product, chances are, many will.

I also remembered that there were a time of very huge fluctuating forex AUD VS SGD, that AUD crashed. So i bought again, can't remember amt, but kept buying while it was good. Then sold AUD when AUD buys 1.28-1.30 SGD. So I was simultaneously buying SG shares and doing this forex thingy. Also do note that Aus bank interest rates were as high as 8.5 percent per annum ! good old rabodirect !

Then mid 2009, bought my first apartment with loan,.had govt support of I think about 24k and stamp duty free !!... Interest rates then were pretty high, so there was something called negative gearing, anyways, it reduces my taxable income. Yield before tax was about 6-7 percent..interest rates i think 8 percent..I think approx 0.5 to 1 percent of the loan come out of my pocket per year..never bothered to count..I lived in it 6 mths, moved out to room rental to enjoy negative gearing benefits but yet remained primary residence for capital gain exemption.

All AUD money continued to be sold and bought SG shares mainly, stopped US shares as poor dividends was a factor. No balls ...Sold 90 percent of SG and USD shares over maybe ?1-1.5 years....put down payment for off plan 1.5 years ago for new apartment in AUS Lucky me, real estate boomed, only realised when I tend to see more and more chinese from whatever they came from in areas usually dominated by whites aussies in auctions. I'm pretty much a pro when looking at houses/contract/auctions. So I knew something was odd..So I bought an apartment really on impulse tho ...now just sold off my first apartment and gonna pay off in full for this current one, this time gonna live in it as opposite work....Do also note, I've bought alot of AUD since its going down, again with dollar cost avg after selling SGD and US shares

......next plan of action: buying aussie high dividend shares and benefitting from franking credits which unfortunately if u are not resident, u are not entitled to. This dividend yield after tax well should be about 5-6 percent ..I'm gonna rent out my other room 200AUD a week, invest everything including whatever I save in this dividend shares....tempted to dip into my 4.5 percent interest variable loan off set account, but I have to see how...Total cost of living maybe $1000 per 4 weeks. 4.5k net earnings plus $800 will save about $55900 annually. End up about 254k in 4 years with assume return of 5 percent after tax via dividend shares. 600k apartment capital gain rises 3.5 percent per year annualised gives me $688513. In total about 942k in 4 years. Yeh short of 1 million. But this 4 years will provide me with a lot of opportunities to make up short fall.

.I see AUD strengthening by 2018, will sell AUD and hopefully enough to buy a condo in SG while real estate is still low...and who knows any global catastrophe ?..perhaps buy rouble? oil ? ...not sure got guts but see how. Always buy when others are scared !!!..I love recessions.

4.5k per 4 weeks income is really the bare minimum as I work 2 times a week..sure bored and thus work more..

Investing is extremely important..but my message was meant to encourage those who are like waiting forever for a job to fall, to do jobs shun by others e.g. nursing or ?maritime engineering..Even if u hate it, who cares..just do it for the money. I've always believed in demand and supply..I would be a maid if it paid heaps..I don't care as long I don't do anything unethical and break the law. A rock hard iron rice bowl nursing job will give u the confidence to take risk and invest...

I can look long term over 10 years..In fact I may embark on a hard core negative gearing real estate spree with 10 years time frame....but I yearn to return to Singapore rich. Singapore is a good place when u have at least SGD 1.5mio net...may return instead to buy the best hdb flat, rent out rooms, and remaining cash in shares. Retired young.

600k basically 200k profit was from real estate, 150k profit or so from forex and shares, rest are savings. I also believe from now on, real estate investing is more prudent simply due to leverage. Banks just love to lend u money with real estate as collateral. I could have been a millionaire if I had balls.

time to make my next million..Singapore properties ?

you can actually retire NOW in Penang. Just invest your AUD600k in a 6% dividend yield stocks giving you AUD36k pa or RM105k pa dividend income.

Rent a 3 bedroom condo in Penang RM1,000 pm.
Food and utilities RM1,000 pm
Others RM1,000 pm
Total RM3,000 pm or RM36k pa
Savings RM69k pa (you can reinvest this or enjoy travelling the world)

Resources for job seekers
 

We have many resources on our website to help people looking for a job. This includes articles, videos and discussion groups.

Here is a good starting point - Transition & Job Search Strategy Archives - Sandbox Advisors

Hope you find it useful and good luck to all!