Man in his 30s earning $12.5K a month says he’s “terribly miserable” and lives from pay-check to pay-check

A man in his early 30s earning $12,500 a month wrote that he was “terribly miserable” with his work and found that he was still living “from pay cheque to pay cheque with minimal savings as there are a tonne of things to pay for”.

In an anonymous post to popular confessions page SGWhispers on Sunday (Jul 17), the man wrote that he was looking for advice on how he could make himself feel less depressed. He said that he worked in the fast-paced tech industry and made around $150,000 per annum.

“Compared to my peers from school, I’m considered to be doing well however for my role and scope, I’m considered to be on the lower spectrum of the payscale”, he wrote. He explained that while his friends and family thought that he was doing well, he felt rather miserable because of the long work hours and pressure he faced.

“Deadline after deadline, meeting after meeting. It never seems to end! My blood pressure has went up significantly over the last 2 years to the point my doctor has suggested for me to either quit my job or take a long vacation, both of which are impossible for me”, the man wrote. He added that he often envied the people who were able to switch off and remove themselves from their work once they leave the office.

While he has considered switching to a more relaxed role, the man felt that he was in too deep, and any other related roles would be of the same nature.

Despite earning $12,500 a month, the man wrote: “I live from pay cheque to pay cheque with minimal savings as there are a tonne of things to pay for such as loans, home related bills, insurance, medical bills, rising costs of food, renewal of appliances etc”. 

He had rather depressive and even suicidal thoughts, but could not bring himself to leave his elderly parents. Rather resigned, the man asked netizens for advice on his possible options and said: “I’m not sure if I can afford the time and money to see a psychiatrist. It is also worrying that should I be diagnosed with any conditions, it may affect my line of work and the relations around me”.

Here’s what netizens said: