Following up Part I , here are another 8 reasons to join the workforce before going for your undergraduate studies. 1. It's easier to get your foot into the industry Companies are profit-driven, and the ever-rising cost of human resources is an area the company will want to control, even cut down when the economy goes down. A diploma holder will be paid lower than a graduate despite doing the same job, which is why apprenticeships that hire diploma/ A-Level holders are increasingly popular not only in Singapore but also in UK and US.  There are also too many graduates out there seeking positions in reputable companies. Those companies can afford to select candidates who are the cream of the crop in their cohort. Don't forget, your competitors are those scholars and graduates from those Ivy League universities whom you can't even beat them in academics. Given that most graduates in Singapore could eventually get a job (over 90% of graduates found employment ...

Just a few decades ago, a bachelor's degree used to be perceived as prestigious, luxurious and a huge advantage at the game of job seeking. Fast forward to the modern times, with better quality education, more universities popping up, and easier access to education loans, it seems that getting a degree is such a norm that we now have more degree holders than jobs that actually require a degree holder to perform. But is rushing into a degree actually 'worth it'? No, it's not that I don't value education and the opportunities it provides. On the contrary, I believe that education is essential for growth and development, and one should never stop learning after leaving school. In fact, I would still love to go to a university to pursue a Bachelor's Degree, followed by a Master's Degree. That's something that's still on my bucket list. A few years ago, when I braced the workforce armed with a diploma, I never thought of not going back to...

Happy New Year everyone! How has your new year been? The year started off really well for me. I watched the breathtaking fireworks at a good location with little people and a spectacular view, managed to hop on the train, found a seat and reached home before 1 am. What a sweet victory! The rest of the day was spent on catching up sleep, dining with my family and strolling in the park with my parents. It's a warm and blissful day that I can't be more thankful for. It makes my smile beamed even wider when I checked my CPF account to make sure the top-ups in December were successful (I topped up on 30 Dec after returning from overseas). I have received a total of $2,379.18 in interest! It's not a huge amount of money, but it almost reached my first paycheck when I first started working and that's significant to me. To think I would actually receive a paycheck worth of interest! Anyway, the top-ups were successful, but there was no interest in it because both t...