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Couldn't find a good job so I took a 2000 SGD/month job

Discuss about getting a well paid job or career advancement. Ask about salaries, expat packages, CPF & taxes for expatriate.
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JR8
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Post by JR8 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 6:51 pm

youngprofessional2012 wrote:4 years, $75,000 USD in debt, and 10,000 km away from home all to get a job "flipping burgers".... oh life.
Well quite. Why have you inflicted this upon yourself? It rather escapes me!

p.s. not being mean spirited, genuine question.

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Post by youngprofessional2012 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 7:18 pm

10,000 km away; bc of love. 4 years + 75K USD in debt bc of the societal imposed belief that going to college somehow guaranteed a good job and consequently a good life.

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Post by JR8 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 7:29 pm

youngprofessional2012 wrote:10,000 km away; bc of love. 4 years + 75K USD in debt bc of the societal imposed belief that going to college somehow guaranteed a good job and consequently a good life.
I hope this bird of yours is worth it, because she is costing you a hell of lot of money at a critical point in your career.

And hows it going to look on your resume that the first job you had out of UC was flipping burgers in SG? I think you either need an approriate job in SG pronto, or you leave...

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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 8:07 pm

Frankly I'm damned surprised you were given an S pass to manage a McD's in the first place. It's not like that's a niche occupation with almost nobody qualified here in Singapore. Something else is afoot methinks. Is your girlfriend one of the Minister's daughters? Really strange I think.

You have already stated you are not an ABC, and that would have been the most logical explanation. However, as an AngMoh with the ability to speak Mandarin, does give you a leg up.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 9:44 pm

I hate to kick you while you're down... but why didn't you just get your Thai fiance a B2 and then marry her while she was in the US? They give them out like candy in Thailand (the 10yr version too), something you would have known if you spent half as much time on a Fiance-Visa forum as you have just in this thread :)

Your other option, stay in Vietnam (or try China since you speak Mandarin) and teach English. You'll make just as much money there as you do right now for half the hours. The post-college to real-job gap looks much better on your resume later if you do something like that than flip burgers.

I'd also normally give my "living in candy land and being stuck with stale twizzlers" analogy right now, but the last time I did the guys girlfriend read the thread. Ooops.

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Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 9:47 pm

youngprofessional2012 wrote:honestly I think a salary of $3500 would be fair given my credentials
The one thing Singapore has plenty of are fresh grads with degrees in business admin and the like. Pretty sure they take jobs for a lot less, about S$2000 a month or so.

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Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 9:52 pm

youngprofessional2012 wrote:10,000 km away; bc of love. 4 years + 75K USD in debt bc of the societal imposed belief that going to college somehow guaranteed a good job and consequently a good life.
Yeah, uhm no. Higher education in the US is the next bubble about to burst. Common Sense, Connections and networking gets you a good job, and then a good life if you're smart. Skipping college (except some Mandarin jr college courses) was the best thing I ever did in my youth :D

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Post by poodlek » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:06 pm

If she's in Thailand why are you in Sg? Love makes people do some silly things... why not get your career started in the USA if you're waiting on her papers? It would give you a lot more cred with the US State Dept. if you were actually there and contributing to society and pulling a decent salary. This situation is rather bizarre.

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Post by nutnut » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:20 pm

Yes mate, I have to agree with most of what has been said. McDonalds does not help you on your resume, if you can't get a good job here then get yourself home and get one in US! At the end of the day, your career (and paying off the debt) is really going to be your main focus in my opinion.

I am struggling to see why you would take the role!

good luck mate, I hope it works out with your Thai girl, otherwise you'll be really annoyed!

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Post by zzm9980 » Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:30 pm

nutnut wrote:
good luck mate, I hope it works out with your Thai girl, otherwise you'll be really annoyed!

nutnut
Nah, if it doesn't, he's in the right place to to find a new one :) Just avoid the domestic models.

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Post by the lynx » Fri, 16 Mar 2012 9:01 am

I must say that this is the most puzzling situation I have ever seen cross-border. Is your Thai girlfriend in Singapore or Thailand (you didn't mention that). Yeah love is everything wonderful and bla bla bla but if she's real for you, it would pains her to see you like this in a place like McD.

Like zzm said, there are a multitude of locals with business admin degrees, not just through local tertiary education institutes but also from other first world countries and they are willing to do it for way less than SGD2K/month in their own comfort zone (And you ask me how? They have their mama and papa's HDB to live in comfortably with maids a-waiting and home-cooked food from dearest mama).

Do give it a serious thought, especially my questions on your girlfriend.

And be prepared to hop out and make a clean cut for your CV on first job. Teaching English in China, Vietnam and Thailand for a Caucasian like you would instead boost your CV. And pay you much more decently too.

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Post by nutnut » Fri, 16 Mar 2012 9:06 am

the lynx wrote:Teaching English in China, Vietnam and Thailand for a Caucasian like you would instead boost your CV. And pay you much more decently too.
+1! This is a definite, McD's is not a good career move on anyone's CV, you probably know that!

Good Luck, everyone makes mistakes, it's how we deal with them after that counts :)
nutnut

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Post by nakatago » Fri, 16 Mar 2012 9:12 am

nutnut wrote:
the lynx wrote:Teaching English in China, Vietnam and Thailand for a Caucasian like you would instead boost your CV. And pay you much more decently too.
+1! This is a definite, McD's is not a good career move on anyone's CV, you probably know that!

Good Luck, everyone makes mistakes, it's how we deal with them after that counts :)
Unless it's written as "local facility operations management of an internationally distributed immediate-service eating establishment" and hoping the reviewer doesn't ask for the specific name and that they buy the bull.
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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Fri, 16 Mar 2012 9:14 am

You applying for a government public relations job Nak! :o
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by zzm9980 » Fri, 16 Mar 2012 9:22 am

the lynx wrote:I must say that this is the most puzzling situation I have ever seen cross-border. Is your Thai girlfriend in Singapore or Thailand (you didn't mention that).
Besides this, why is he vacationing in Vietnam if money is so tight? :???:

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