Q I am a 30-year-old male Singaporean armed with a master's degree in engineering from a local university.
I have been working in an American multinational corporation ever since I finished my master's degree two years ago. In these two years, I have been experiencing a lot of frustration with my work. I am not developing professionally, and am convinced that the management in our local office is concerned only with the bottom line, and does not care about staff development. I have lost interest in my job and resignation isn't far from my mind.
At the same time, I am toying with the idea of going abroad to pick up a foreign language. I have had this thought since three years back, but I did not go after it owing to unfavourable circumstances then. My primary motivation is mainly interest in that language.
At the same time, I also hope to pick up some survival skills by living abroad, widen my horizons, and become more independent and mature. The language programme will take about two years.
I've two concerns: Is it all right for me to pursue this personal interest, and will this two-year hiatus hurt my resume in any way?
Will it be difficult for me to re-enter the job market upon my return to Singapore? Coming back to my current industry will be tough as my employer is one of the very few players here and I've no wish to work in the same office. I'm mentally prepared to start from scratch upon my return.
A We can view staff development from at least two perspectives - one, where your employer exposes you to learning opportunities by giving you a larger portfolio of responsibilities, such as an overseas posting, for example; and two, where you attend structured training and courses and the like.
I assume your efforts to proactively explore both perspectives with your employer have not borne fruit.
Before you throw in the towel, and if you have not already done so, do take time to identify other potential sources of frustration - and discern if you are able to change the situation.
If you are convinced that there are no other options but quit, you may have to bite the bullet and do it. Resigning without an alternative option on hand is usually viewed with some suspicion by some employers. So, do consider this option very carefully.
At the age of 30, you do have the luxury of exploring the 'foreign language' option. Any kind of learning cannot but be good for you. Also, as you have rightly said, you will be able to widen your outlook and return with a new perspective of the world at large. I say this with the benefit of my personal experience of living and working in Hong Kong for five years.
Assuming you return to Singapore at the age of 32 or 33, I believe you will still have a good chance of re-entering the job market, and even pursuing a new career path. I would encourage you not to lose touch with the working world when you are abroad, and one way could be to take up a part-time job.
This will enable you to have some income, as working towards financial independence should also be one of the key goals for someone in your age group.
If this is not feasible, you must stay in touch with business by reading and communicating with friends and former colleagues, for example.
One other thing: you have to brush up on your interviewing skills when you are in job search mode to enhance your chances of success. I anticipate that you will be asked challenging questions such as: 'If you can afford to not work for two years, how motivated will you be if you were to join our team?'.
As for the challenge of starting out on a new career path, you will have to focus on convincing the interviewer on two key things - one, your interest in that new career path, and secondly, how your past experiences, knowledge, skills and so on can be relevant.
Another option is for you to consider what your other career interests are, and proactively search for a new job before you resign. You may still be able to learn a foreign language without having to live abroad.
This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Jun 1, 2008
