Salary.sg Forums - CPA thinking about signing on to SCDF

Hello all,

Having a bit of a career dilemma and would appreciate any sincere help/insight. I am currently an auditor at a Big4 based in Canada, I graduated from UofT which is the top university in CA with an equivalent of a 2nd upper honors in SG. I have just passed my exams for CPA Canada, and just need my hours to receive my letters.

However, I have no interest in accounting or anything under the general umbrella of finance. I chose accounting because I didn't know what I wanted to do and it was a safe career with a good paycheck and progression. I finished my NS in SCDF as a medic which I found great satisfaction in helping others and am now considering a career switch into the force. I understand if I were to sign on, I'd be an officer and will eventually be rotated out of the front-line force after my initial stint at a station, but that's fine with me. Policy planning still can have real world impacts or at least be value adding, which would ultimately be more fulfilling than delivering audit reports over historical information.

My dilemma comes when I think about financial security. Based on my limited knowledge from googling careers with the force, my worry is that after the mandatory retirement, I will be out of a stable job (eg. running jokes about retired officers being taxi drivers), and this is important given that Singapore is not a country one can easily retire in easily unless you made big bucks early on. Also I am no scholar, never applied for any. There are also those who tell me I should be grateful about the security of having a Big 4 job and being based in Canada which I am, but between career fulfillment and financial security, I am undecided... if anyone can provide insight into the life of an officer in the force nearing retirement, I'd appreciate it. I am in my mid 20s and while planning for retirement is far off, it never hurt.

Note: I am a relatively simple person, I am more than happy with a 2nd hand corolla or civic, I do not need to have a landed property or condo. I am also thrifty and do not indulge in eating out at restaurants or shopping a lot which allows me to save more. I have a decent understanding over low risk investing to put my money to work. My interests are generally sports and exercise and family time which are not very costly hobbies although I would love to travel to hike for vacations.

TL;DR: Mid 20's Big 4 auditor considering signing with SCDF but also worried about the lack of transferable skills and long-term financial impact on retirement of signing on with SCDF.