“I Was Just Gunning For A Company Name”
There is no single blueprint for success. For those just starting out, discovering what truly fits can lead to meaningful careers in unexpected ways.
Chelsea Yap, 27, knows what it feels like to chase a very specific version of success.
At university, she had her sights set on a job at a FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) company. What she was less sure of was the exact role she wanted.
Seeing classmates already accumulating internships, she set out to build a stacked resume by “intern-maxxing”.
“I felt like I was left behind, and there was this pressure to perform,” she says.
She eventually completed seven internships across advertising, marketing and technology companies.
“With every internship, I was figuring out slowly what I like, what I don’t like. It was data collection for me to find out what I want to do,” she says.
However, a rejection from one of the tech companies – what she thought was her “dream job” – prompted her to rethink what success looks like.
“It felt like all my effort had gone to waste, when I thought I’d done everything right to avoid failure.
“But every rejection is a redirection. I realised that it wasn’t really the role I wanted; I was just gunning for more of a company name than the actual job,” she says.
Indiependence is an F ZINE initiative featuring honest conversations about things that matter to young Singaporeans. In this edition, editor-in-chief Noelle Loh chats with young professionals and hiring managers to unpack the anxieties and pressures of job hunting. Our take? Nobody knows what they’re doing (and that’s okay). Watch the conversation below.
Finding your own definition of success
During the F ZINE-hosted conversation at Hideout Coffee Bar, fashion label r y e’s founder Bessie Ye – whose team is 80 per cent Gen Z – spoke about finding fulfilment and pursuing work that aligns with your values, rather than chasing perfection.
Mahdhir Mustaffa, deputy director at NVPC – where Gen Z employees make up about a third of the team – framed the question differently: “What’s your purpose? What kind of human being do you want to be?”
Chelsea eventually joined a fintech company, where she is now an account manager. Outside work, she creates content under the name “Offbeat Singaporean”, reflecting her interest in unconventional travel and lesser-known stories.
A career coach with the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) says many people first need help separating what they genuinely want from what they think they are supposed to want.
“Prestige, parental approval, the impressed reaction at a family gathering. They are not choosing a career, they are choosing an image. Building a life around other people’s approval is a fragile foundation for something they will live with every single day,” the coach says.
Chelsea isn’t the only one whose career took an unexpected turn.
Choosing fit over expectations
Felicia Ong’s job is taking her places. Just not in the way most people might expect.
The 25-year-old communications graduate was recently posted to Australia as part of a bubble tea chain’s expansion plans. As a supervisor for a new outlet, her role involves training and supervising new team members, while supporting day-to-day store operations.
Before graduating, she had taken on a public relations internship that matched what she was studying.
Instead, the experience showed her what she did not want from her full-time career: She preferred being on her feet, interacting with people and solving problems on the spot.
“People assume you should work in the field you studied. But the internship helped me realise that I’m much happier doing hands-on work where I can see the outcome straight away,” she says.
A family friend encouraged her to give F&B a try, reminding her that she was still young and didn’t have to follow the path everyone expected. “That advice stuck,” she says. “I think I would rather try it now than spend years in the future wondering ‘What if?’”
After graduating in 2025, she joined the company as a full-time management trainee and has since grown into her current role.
“Choosing to do something unrelated to my studies is not rejecting or wasting my degree,” Felicia says. “To me, it’s about picking the right theory I learnt in school and applying it in the real world.”
Her definition of success has changed too.
“It used to feel like I needed to have my life figured out after graduating to prove I could compete with everyone else,” she reflects.
“I learnt that growth comes from having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and being open to new opportunities and challenges.”
F ZINE asked young Singaporeans what they really feel about job hunting and the pressure to have their careers figured out.
When everyone else seems ahead
Even when you’ve found a path that suits you, it can be hard not to compare yourself with everyone else.
Lucas, a 23-year-old student and music artist, admits he cannot help comparing himself with friends working at investment banks and tech start-ups.
“There is always this pressure that they’re going to be coming home to a great pay cheque, but for music artistes and those people who are doing entrepreneurial stuff, it’s a bit harder for us to guarantee that.”
The SWDA career coach sees this often, particularly on LinkedIn, where comparison is a major source of distress. “What you see on LinkedIn is the highlight reel. What is never shown are the months of rejections that came before it, or the quiet anxiety of wondering whether they can actually do the job.”
For those pursuing less conventional careers, the pressure can feel even greater when their path looks different from everyone else’s.
Looking beyond the title
When people tell the SWDA career coach they feel behind or unsure of their next step, the conversation often begins with a different question.
“Behind what, exactly? Behind whose timeline?” the coach says – a question that often stops graduates in their tracks.
“Many familiar benchmarks are someone else’s definition of success, worn so long they may start to feel like your own.”
Chelsea says, “My life right now is a lot closer to my dream life than if I had gone to that FAANG job.”
Finding a path that’s your own
If you’re feeling behind or unsure what comes next, a career coach from the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) shares three ways to focus less on expectations – and more on what matters to you.
- Strip away everyone else’s expectations
Set aside what your parents want, what your peers will admire, and what sounds impressive at a reunion. What’s left is often closer to the truth.
“Ask yourself what you’re drawn to when nobody’s watching and nobody’s keeping score,” the coach says.
- Take one small step forward
Progress rarely comes from waiting until everything is figured out.
“Do one small thing today that moves you forward – one email, one job application, one conversation with a career coach. Small actions rebuild confidence far more reliably than big resolutions.”
Fresh graduates can speak with an SWDA career coach for personalised career and skills advisory or tap on Polaris by VCA for industry perspectives and practical advice from SWDA volunteer career advisors – who are professionals in their own fields.
Prefer to start on your own? The Career Starter Pack breaks the school-to-work transition into clearer steps, while MyCareersFuture can help you explore roles that match your skills and interests.
- Stop using LinkedIn as a scorecard
Use LinkedIn to explore careers, grow your network and learn from others – not to measure your progress against others. Follow people in fields that interest you, connect with alumni and use the platform to build a presence.
ICYMI, SWDA is a government agency formed in July through the merger of Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture Singapore. Click here for more tools, tips and support or reach out to an SWDA career coach for personalised career and skills advisory.