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24-08-2020, 06:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Not completely unrelated, but I just hope it’s not too far off track ...
Stating my background just to be in line with the topic:
I’m 33. Started working in 2012. Finance, but my grades (local U) were below average and hence did not qualify for any Management Associate or IB routes.
Started at S$40k pa and now around S$110k pa after 8.5 years of working exp. My savings barely top S$150k even though I lead a modest lifestyle and don’t own a car.
I wonder if people nowadays, especially my generation, find and feel that money has gotten a lot harder to make?
For people born 10 years older than me, they had the good old days of being able to buy multiple properties with 5% cash, flipping them several times and making bundles in the process.
Not to mention the good old days of the stock market.... these days, our local SGX is so dead. Most people who subscribed to the “buy & hold” mentality are still hoping to break even. Even the likes of “blue chips” like SembCorp, SPH, Guocoland, Keppel, etc etc are hardly yielding any profit these days. ETFs or Unit Trusts, despite the Global exposure, don’t do much better.
Scrolling back to the older posts, I see many of them who, despite modest or slightly-above-average salaries, managed to amass a decent amount of wealth by the time they were in their mid or late 30s. They could very well be troll posts, but it’s certainly worth having something to aim or work for (without sacrificing health and family).
Could anyone share their thoughts if they feel the same way too, or am I just being pessimistic?
Thanks in advance.
*I swear the figures are 100% truthful. And that this is not a troll post.
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I am 1 year younger than you and also started in 2012. Modest lifestyle also around 120 p.a.
I also took 1 year of break from work to settle family issue.
I had over 200k investment and cash. There is no need to be over pessimistic because we all walk different paths. Just learn to enjoy what you have and invest wisely with knowledge.
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24-08-2020, 08:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Not completely unrelated, but I just hope it’s not too far off track ...
Stating my background just to be in line with the topic:
I’m 33. Started working in 2012. Finance, but my grades (local U) were below average and hence did not qualify for any Management Associate or IB routes.
Started at S$40k pa and now around S$110k pa after 8.5 years of working exp. My savings barely top S$150k even though I lead a modest lifestyle and don’t own a car.
I wonder if people nowadays, especially my generation, find and feel that money has gotten a lot harder to make?
For people born 10 years older than me, they had the good old days of being able to buy multiple properties with 5% cash, flipping them several times and making bundles in the process.
Not to mention the good old days of the stock market.... these days, our local SGX is so dead. Most people who subscribed to the “buy & hold” mentality are still hoping to break even. Even the likes of “blue chips” like SembCorp, SPH, Guocoland, Keppel, etc etc are hardly yielding any profit these days. ETFs or Unit Trusts, despite the Global exposure, don’t do much better.
Scrolling back to the older posts, I see many of them who, despite modest or slightly-above-average salaries, managed to amass a decent amount of wealth by the time they were in their mid or late 30s. They could very well be troll posts, but it’s certainly worth having something to aim or work for (without sacrificing health and family).
Could anyone share their thoughts if they feel the same way too, or am I just being pessimistic?
Thanks in advance.
*I swear the figures are 100% truthful. And that this is not a troll post.
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I am on par with you in terms of years of experience and pay. I have only 10% of your savings. 150k is really good. I have a flat, a car, 2 kids and failed business venture. Maybe if I don't have any of those I could touch 100k.
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25-08-2020, 04:39 PM
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Verified Member
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Join Date: Aug 2020
Posts: 29
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This thread makes me feel like a farmer with all the >200k P.A. before their 30s (or even in early 30s).
26 yo fresh grad (covid batch). 2x FCH from local uni (Engineering+Business) working in oil supermajor. 70k P.A.
Net worth is 30k in the red of student loans.
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25-08-2020, 06:42 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by megalomaniac
This thread makes me feel like a farmer with all the >200k P.A. before their 30s (or even in early 30s).
26 yo fresh grad (covid batch). 2x FCH from local uni (Engineering+Business) working in oil supermajor. 70k P.A.
Net worth is 30k in the red of student loans.
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If you stay for a few more years in oil, should exceed 100k p.a.
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27-08-2020, 03:09 PM
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Banned
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Join Date: Apr 2020
Posts: 1
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Hi there. Does trading count? If yes, then: Trader, almost six years experience, around 150k per year. I fully gave up my daily job four years ago, when trading started to become more and more profitable. Ever since my annual income has steadily raised year by year, and last year I made around 150 thousand dollars. As for me, this is a pretty decent income, and it's all due to Investous, my all-time favorite trading platform. I do invest a lot of time and work in trading, so the results are pleasing.
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29-08-2020, 10:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
Saw this in another forum:
I am 33 years old and earn around S$ 500k a year (in total compensation) through my job. I manage a small (less than 10 person) software engineering team for a FAANG co in Singapore.
I post my career story here not to brag, but to offer a data point for what is possible to achieve through persistence and some luck.
Some background: I am self taught in computer science - I never had a single course in formal CS while in university. I am an immigrant here (I come from a poor south asian country).
I came to Singapore to work after finishing my university studies in engineering. I was an average student throughout school - I never won any awards for academic prowess (or any awards for that matter). I did not qualify for any of the better known universities in my country, and graduated from a very average school.
- Years 1-6:
Worked for one of the local research institutes (think of Astar) as a research associate. The work was hard and there were many late nights, but here is where I "grew up" as an engineer. Sometime in year 4/5, I decided to teach myself CS and software engineering. I even crashed Prof. Ben Leong's lectures once.
My salary was a measly S$ 30k a year! At first I was happy and proud for landing a job like this after school (I was finishing university in my home country, and landing a job in Singapore was an exceptional achievement for me). But as the years went by, I grew sad and frustrated at my pay, and decided to pivot to a software engineering career even though I had earned a Masters degree in engineering from one of the local universities along the way.
- Year 7:
Finally left my research job! Did some startup experiments that all failed. Average pay: S$ 150k a year (though I didn't work the full year).
At one point, a startup I was working for fired me and as a direct consequence of that I lost rights to live in Singapore. I had to move back to my country in a hurry, and hunting for jobs from there was exceptionally hard.
- Years 8 - 10:
I finally land a corporate job and start making some real money! It was a software engineering role at an international finance firm (think of something like Nomura / AIG / Prudential). Salary: S$ 200k - 240k.
- Year 11:
Landed a tech-lead type of role at another finance firm. I was responsible for leading small (5 - 10) teams of engineers on the technical parts of a product. Salary: S$ 300k - 330k.
- Year 12:
I land my current gig at a big tech co. I have formal management responsibilities for my team, and am responsible for both the people on my team + the tech produced by our team. All-in total compensation is somewhere between S$ 500k - 550k, depending on how bonuses payout and how the company's stock performs.
Along the way, I interviewed with and rejected (and got rejected by) many, many different firms. Here is a sampling of companies that I turned down (there are many more which turned *me* down as well):
- Other local research institutes.
- "hot" local startups, such as Gojek, Grab etc.
- International finance firms, such as Prudential, Nomura, etc.
- Local finance firms, such as DBS, UOB, etc.
- Local non-tech companies, such as Singtel, Sembcorp, etc.
It was an emotional roller coaster to interview with so many different companies, and even more so to turn down job offers given that I didn't have such abundant employment prospects in the first few years of my career. But along the way, I got really good at prospecting, interviewing, negotiating and evaluating opportunities.
On a side note, many of the local companies have proved to be absolutely terrible to negotiate with - they tend to be extremely fixated on my previous salary and almost always try to lowball by framing their offer as a percentage of current pay.
I am happy to answer questions or offer my perspective on carving a career for yourself in a follow-up post. Feel free to post on the comments. You can also email me with career questions on [email protected] (this is a temp throwaway email address).
For Prof. Ben Leong and Jordan Dea Mattson: thank you so much for interacting with the community here and for your valuable advise. What factors / skills will prove critical in getting to the next level of the corporate ladder and compensation? Do you have any advise I must consider while I try to grow my career?
Thank you for reading!
-
#83938: s://.nuswhispers.com/confession/83938
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Fuk story teller. I tell you what possible is that you plant the seed of jealousy and FTRASH
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30-08-2020, 09:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Unregistered
S&t in a bank, 32 yo. slightly below 120k p.a.
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Total compensation? If yes im assuming you’re in a local bank?
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30-08-2020, 11:06 AM
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37 year Singaporean male(did NS).
Industry: Tech (FAANG)
Title: Software Engineer
2020 Annual Basic: SGD$150K
2020 Annual Bonus: SGD$250k to SGD$300k (includes RSU Stock appreciation)
2019 Total Comp: SGD$350k
2020 Expected Total Comp: SGD$400k - SGD$450k per annum
Other income: rent out my condo for SGD$6k/month to expats.
My spouse is a doctor in Singapore I earn 2x of her annual total comp.
COVID has been good for my industry. FAANG stock price has never been higher.
Recession? What recession?
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