Every morning at 7:30 AM, I’m crammed on the MRT between a guy fast asleep on his feet and someone aggressively crunching Excel formulas on their laptop. For years, that was my default setting. But lately, every single day feels like walking on thin ice.
My company just went through its second round of “restructuring” this year. The desk across from mine has been empty since Tuesday. Every time an unexpected All-Hands calendar invite pops up, my stomach drops. You realize pretty quickly that no matter how many OT hours you log, you’re just a line item on a spreadsheet. If management decides to trim the fat, you’re gone.
Then last month, a guy from another department—34 years old, fit, ran marathons—collapsed at his desk and passed away. Just like that. Sudden cardiac arrest.
That hit me like a truck.
We live in a culture that preaches the ultimate Singapore SOP: study hard $\rightarrow$ get degree $\rightarrow$ get high-paying corporate job $\rightarrow$ apply BTO $\rightarrow$ upgrade to condo/car $\rightarrow$ grind until 65. We sacrifice our mental health, physical well-being, and actual happiness just to stack paper and impress people we don’t even like.
For what? Anytime you can get laid off. Anytime you can catch a terminal illness. Anytime you can just straight up drop dead.
So last week, I submitted my 1-month notice. No backup job lined up. No 5-year corporate career roadmap. I’m taking my savings, starting a small specialty coffee stall in a hawker center, and finally living on my own terms.
My parents think I’ve lost my mind (“So much money spent on your university degree!”). My friends think I’m having an early mid-life crisis. But for the first time in ten years, I woke up feeling actually excited about the future instead of dreading the 9-to-6 grind.
If you’re feeling stuck, burnt out, and constantly living in fear of the ax falling, ask yourself: Why are you playing a game where the rules can change overnight, and the ultimate prize is just more stress?
Do what makes you happy today. Tomorrow is never guaranteed.