SINGAPORE: A software engineer took to social media to share that he’s considering leaving his S$3,500-paying job after his company failed to deliver a promised salary increase.
On Friday (Feb 27), he posted on the r/singaporejobs subreddit, explaining: “I recently completed my part-time computing degree at NTU, but I did not receive the promised salary increment due to budget constraints. I have 3 years of experience as a software engineer, and I feel completely undervalued and misled, and I am seriously considering leaving.”
He also mentioned that his dissatisfaction has been growing over the years because he has consistently been doing the same kind of work as other engineers who hold degrees, yet his compensation has remained stagnant.
According to him, these engineers, who joined around the same time as him, are earning more than S$6,000, which is nearly double his salary.
“I feel like I’m dragging myself to go to work every day, as I feel shortchanged due to the salary, and being able to do work faster than others just landed me with more responsibilities rather than appreciation,” he said.
“At times, I am even required to work overtime until midnight without any time off or extra compensation. It is exhausting and demoralising.”
Despite his frustrations, he said he has not yet tendered his resignation because of the job market.
“I’ve applied to over 100 roles but haven’t secured interviews or responses so far. Given the current job market, I’m unsure whether it’s wise to resign without securing another offer first.”
“Your job is definitely undervaluing you.”
As much as they understood the post author’s frustrations, many urged him not to quit right away. One user reminded him that looking for a role these days “can take months or even a year.”
“Never quit a job without securing your next one in this job climate,” they said. “It’s the employer’s market now, so they’re really picky about who they want to hire. Nevertheless, if you took six months to find a job while employed, you would still have earned around S$20k during that period. Anything is better than S$0. All the best!”
Another echoed this view, saying, “Think of it this way: continue to earn what you can and hang in there while keeping your eyes open for opportunities. Once the right offer comes in, you’ll know what to do.”
A third suggested, “Maybe start quiet quitting? Your job is definitely undervaluing you. That’s an abysmal rate for a software engineer.”
Several others, however, felt that if he had enough savings to cover his daily expenses for the next few months, or if he was completely burnt out and mentally drained from his job, it might be time to seriously consider handing in his resignation.
One wrote, “Gaps in the CV may look bad to the employer, but they can be good overall for YOU and your mental health if you are burnt out. Take that short break, refresh, reconnect with your loved ones, go on that holiday you’ve been wanting, and then lock in. If you bring the right energy to the interview, it will be a quick hire.”
In other news, a man has turned to Reddit for advice after his girlfriend suggested that they pool all their income into a single joint account.
On Monday (Feb 23), he shared that the topic came up while they were discussing how to manage future household expenses. “She [my girlfriend] says she wants to have a joint account where we deposit all our money into that one account and use it for home loan repayments or other expenses like going out for meals.”
Read more: SG couple clashes after girlfriend suggests merging all income into one account
