Work / No Work

Are you working 9 to 5? Are you self employed? Have you been fired? Did you quit? Were you retrenched? Do you look for jobs now? Are you in a few of these categories or do you belong to none.

At this pt of time many guys have just been released from the military service. The days of getting paid for little work is over, and now this large group is part of the unemployed population in Singapore. Suddenly, their income plunges to $0/mth, whereas expenditure probably rose as much as ~$50/mth. In the past, food was an enjoyment. Now its a burden. Entertainment got to be put away and restrains imposed to curd spendings. Thats painful.

Money does not fall from sky. To survive in this competitive materialistic world, one has to work and earn the meals. Money = Time. Working is definately a sacrifice of precious time. What a dilemma On 1 hand you're desperately in need of a source of income, on the other hand this period of time can serve as a break b4 University begins. So work or not work.

Of cos, other alternatives include betting with S'pore Pools and hope that lady luck shines on you, or simply survive this period with a miracle: dun eat, dun go out, dun use phone... ... hibernate for months.

From my pt of view, I would encourage people to work. Work not just for the $ but more for non material benefits.

Experience is probably the best form of benefit one can gain from this short period of work. The work we can do now is definately simple, repetative and unpleasant at times, but thats what we've got to expect in future. All work are going to be boring, esp. when we're trained in professional fields. Be aware that we'll be specialise in a certain area only, and what companies can provide is also that specific field of work for you to do over the years. If one works in the labour industry, do note the hard work some people bore, to make life better for others. Know how to respect others, workers esp. if you have some. Not just the work itself, finding work is an avenue of gaining useful experiences, at least one will know more about different jobs and their requirements.

Skills: Nothing issn't a skill. Even begging for $ is no simple job, as local knowledge comes into play. Don't look down on what you do, take pride in your work. Everything that is experienced adds to knowledge of that area of work, and inevitably linked to other areas of work. Say data entry, simple but not the same programs everywhere. Promoters may only need to talk, but talking right and bringing a clear msg across is a skill. Before work starts, going thru interviews and the many rejections will sharpen our skills at presentations and writing resume. Travelling to work many a times is also a discovery of new roads, new good eating areas and more shops. These insignificant details will come in handy once you need them.

Friends are often known thru work. The work place bear resemblance to classroom/school. Seeing one another in the same area over a period of time naturally brings people together, even if they dun come over and intro themselves. The variety of people one can know at a work place cover many fields. If you're willing to, ask and learn from them. Take soccer betting for example, I had learnt many techniques of choosing highest possible odds and total goal when working.

And of cos, going to work is a better use of time. I dun think staying at home for long periods is very productive. Nothing much of the current situation will differ, when one could be out there making good use of time. A tenedency for staying home too long is also to develope laziness, a habit which can be very addictive and hard to change. Besides, staying home strains on house hold expences like electric and water bills. So for me going out to work is prefered.