Young worker quits Singapore job at 27, leaves ‘predictable and unreachable’ life behind for Penang

SINGAPORE: Bunny Mook, a 27-year-old worker who just quit her job in Singapore last week, left the city-state not because she hated life here, but because it had become “very predictable and unreachable.”

On her Instagram @thesumobunny, she described her life in Singapore as a routine on repeat: revolving around working, eating, and hitting the gym.

“I could see exactly where my life was going… It scared me more than uncertainty ever could. Because I realised my life was on loop. And maybe in 30 years’ time, when I look back, I might really regret not doing more things when I was younger. So I’ve decided to leave,” she said.

In a separate video on her Instagram page, she shared that she returned home after quitting, describing her life in Penang as “messier with less structure but at the same time, so calm and comforting.”

Only then, she said, did she realise “how fast of a pace I was living in Singapore, till I actually slowed down to notice the little things.”

Some commenters online, including those who are also planning to leave the little red dot for a life elsewhere, wished her well. One said, “Best of luck, I understand how you are feeling & don’t want to not be in a life I dislike.”

However, others were not as supportive of her decision, with one saying, “To be honest, life in SG can be chaotic, unstable and risky as well. You really don’t have to leave SG to experience that.”

Another, who did the same when she was at her age, said, “I quit my job at 27 and realised I needed the job to make it to 28.”

Others, however, pointed to the financial realities behind such a choice, with one asking, “What will you do for money though? Hope it works out well”.

Another warned, “Wait till you don’t have enough money and can’t find a job, then you will appreciate the time when you have a stable job.”

Ms Mook’s experience comes at a time when workplace sentiment in Singapore is showing signs of strain.

Intellect’s latest Workplace Wellbeing 360 report found that workers in the city-state have become more resilient but disengaged, with a drop in their sense of purpose and optimism, which could be contributing to why some are reassessing their work and lifestyle choices. A separate survey found Singapore workers ‘quiet cracking’ from pressure, job uncertainty, and stalled professional growth.

Still, while some locals have seriously contemplated relocating overseas or splitting their time between Singapore and another neighbouring country for a slower pace of life outside the rat race, others refuse to leave the city-state because of its safe environment, higher salaries, family ties, or simply because they cannot afford to.

Meanwhile, some of those who have left end up thinking of coming back, not because they realised life here is better, but due to necessary reasons such as caring for ageing parents. /TISG

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