SINGAPORE: A 30-year-old Singaporean has turned to Reddit to ask others when it might be the right time to step away from work for a while.
In a post on the r/singaporefi forum, he shared that he has been considering a career break as he feels stressed and burnt out. He noted that he is unmarried with no children, but owns a five-room BTO flat that is expected to be completed next year — which will come with renovation and other related costs.
He also gave a breakdown of his current finances, listing S$77,372 in a high-yield savings account, S$116,227 in his IBKR investments, and S$126,862 in CPF.
Despite having accumulated a sizeable financial cushion, he admitted he is hesitant to take a break because people around him have warned that his 30s could be his most productive years for earning and building wealth.
He ended his post by asking: “Is this really a bad time to take a break? Should I just keep pushing on and when will it be a better time to take a break?”
‘Go for a one-month, no-pay leave’
In the Reddit thread, one commenter responded that there might never be a perfect time to step away from work.
“Don’t think there’s ever a perfect time. Most people take a break because they’ve reached a point where they can’t cope mentally or physically anymore. If you’re already feeling that way, there’s no point waiting for a ‘better’ time.”
They added that if the man still felt capable of carrying on, he could consider waiting until the need for a break outweighed the potential financial consequences.
Another wrote, “Not now. The job market is awful, and you have responsibilities coming up. The way to deal with stress and burnout at this age is a mental adjustment rather than a break.”
A third user suggested a compromise, writing, “Go for a one-month, no-pay leave. It doesn't do much damage to your financials.”
Some also recommended waiting until his renovation plans were underway before considering a longer break, or at least asking his partner for her opinion.
“I think the most important opinion right now comes from your partner, whether she can tahan the upcoming costs with a single income,” one user said.
Meanwhile, a few others encouraged him to prioritise his well-being. “Take a break if you need it,” one commenter told him. “Life is not linear; it’s like craggy mountain range. Burnout is real, and you should always put health first.”/TISG