{
  "id": 14151509,
  "title": "30-year-old diploma and degree holder says he feels ‘dejected’ after struggling to land decent-paying work",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/30-year-old-diploma-and-degree-holder-says-he-feels-dejected-after",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-13T06:00:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Independent Singapore",
    "slug": "the-independent-singapore",
    "url": "https://theindependent.sg/30-year-old-diploma-and-degree-holder-says-he-feels-dejected-after-struggling-to-land-decent-paying-work"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 30-year-old Singaporean has expressed his feelings of disappointment over his career struggles, despite holding both a polytechnic diploma and a university degree. In a post on an online forum, he revealed that he currently works in a casual hospital role, which he supplements with freelance work to make ends meet. The job pays less than S$2,300 a month and offers only seven days of annual leave, making him feel drained and undervalued. He has held various positions before, including customer service, sales analyst and a small business owner, but none of them turned out as he had hoped. He now works six to seven days a week, a schedule he describes as \"exhausting.\" Despite his efforts to secure a more stable job, he has only managed to land three interviews, one of which was rejected, another one ghosted, and the last one a scam. He is now considering a role directly under the hospital, one he hopes to secure with the help of a mutual friend. Fellow Singaporeans have responded to his post with blunt advice, suggesting that having a degree does not guarantee a comfortable salary and that he needs to settle on a career direction.",
  "summary": "SINGAPORE: A 30-year-old Singaporean has shared online that he feels “dejected” about his career, saying that even with both a polytechnic diploma and a university degree, he has not been able to land a job that pays reasonably well. In a post on the r/singaporejobs forum, the man said he is currently employed in a casual hospital role through an external vendor, supplementing his income with…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}