SINGAPORE: A fresh grad, who is currently in her sixth week of job hunting, shared on social media that she has finally received two job offers.
In a post on r/askSingapore, a Reddit forum, she expressed how lucky she feels to have two options but also mentioned that it’s tough to choose between them.
On the one hand, she had an offer from the public sector—a stable, well-established organisation that offers good pay, benefits, and job security. The role promised a steady career path with a clear structure and long-term benefits, but she mentioned that she wasn’t sure if the work itself would excite her.
“[This] pays better than the other, more by $300 monthly already, and has other bonuses….but I don’t really feel invested/connected to the work, not very exciting, high learning curve which wouldn’t be an issue if I enjoy/care about my scope of work I feel,” she wrote. “Basically, I see myself doing it just as a ‘job to be done’ mentality.”
On the other hand, the second offer was from a private sector company, a smaller but more dynamic organisation that did work she found personally meaningful.
The role also offered more freedom, flexibility, and the chance to work in an environment that aligned more closely with her values. However, she noted that the benefits and pay were lower, and the path for progression was less clear.
“The work they do, I feel would feed my soul quite a lot, plus I foresee myself relating better to the people and environment there. Less demanding and less pressure in terms of work to be done as well,” she expressed.
Torn between the two job offers, she sought advice from the Reddit community, asking, “Is working for fulfilment worth it over stability and vice versa? Which brings more for a fresh graduate? If anyone has been in a similar position before or has an opinion, do share, I’m quite torn between these 2.”
“You only work for fulfilment in Singapore if money is not a concern for you.”
Singaporean Redditors who chimed in on the discussion were split on the matter. Some firmly supported the idea of prioritizing financial stability and long-term security, while others emphasized the importance of finding meaningful work early on.
Those in favour of the public sector role argued that having a steady income and benefits would give the fresh grad the freedom to explore other passions outside of work.
One Redditor added, “Always chase money. Money doesn’t betray you. Next job will use this as baseline. $300 is 10% increment if base $3000.”
Another commented, “You only work for fulfilment in Singapore if money is not a concern for you.”
On the other hand, a smaller group of Redditors felt that starting with a job that aligned more with her interests could lead to greater job satisfaction and personal growth in the long run.
They believed that doing something meaningful, even if it didn’t pay as well initially, would keep her more motivated and happier in her career.
One Redditor said, “I would take the job (Option 2), you enjoy in a heartbeat. You work ~8 hours a day, 5 days a week. You should always find something that you enjoy doing.”
Another wrote, “Personally for me, if I can afford it, I will definitely avoid a job I dislike. Ultimately my time is more valuable than money.”
In other news, a fresh grad took to Reddit on Monday (Nov 25) to ask Singaporeans if it was too much to ask for a starting salary of $3,200.
In his post on r/askSingapore, he shared that over the past six weeks, he had applied for over 200 positions but only received four responses.
Despite successfully securing a few interviews, he unfortunately hadn’t managed to land a job offer. One factor he suspected could be affecting employers’ decisions was his salary expectation.
He explained, “During interviews, interviewers would ask how much my HR coordinator job pay was and is always reluctant to say it because its only 2.2k/mth but it doesn’t matter to me at that time cause it was a semester break job.”
Read more: Fresh grad asks S’poreans if it was “too much” to ask for a salary of $3.2k
Featured image by Depositphotos (for illustration purposes only)
