Between a high-flying job in a bank or one that involves selling condoms and sex toys, Mr Marcus Seah's instant reply would be: There's more money in condoms.
And he has staked his future on that.
From 2001 to 2003, Mr Seah had handled financial services in a bank in Australia, after graduating from the University of New South Wales.
Then, he quit, returned to Singapore, and started his own business selling condoms and sex toys in Geylang.
He said: 'Working in a bank was such a tedious, routine job. After two years, I realised it wasn't what I wanted.'
The soft-spoken man told The New Paper he made his decision after a 2003 conversation with his friends over coffee. 'They commented on how there weren't many adult toy shops in Singapore then. But it also meant there was a great market potential in this market.'
The opportunist in him didn't need to think twice. He flew to the US to do his own market research.
'It's only in Singapore that it is such a big deal to open adult toy stores. In more westernised countries like Australia, where I used to study, they are everywhere,' Mr Seah said matter-of-factly.
Initially, his family members were disappointed when he told them about his decision.
'They were shocked, as they had high expectations of me. I am the only one who is educated in the family.
'But when they learnt that I have made up my mind, they supported me all the way.'
It is now almost a family business, with Mr Seah roping in his siblings to man the shops.
He owns three adult toy shops and two handphone shops in Geylang, and is planning to go upmarket by opening sex toy shops in central locations.
He did not want to reveal his profits nor his monthly income when asked, saying only that his pay is 'now comparable to what he used to make in the banking industry'.
Even with family support, Mr Seah still has to contend with people's reactions when he tells them that 'I sell condoms'.
'Most of the time, they burst out laughing in disbelief and just think that I am joking or trying to be funny,' he said.
When his girlfriend, Ms Grace Cheng, 33, first met him, she thought Mr Seah was 'complicated, not very decent and a playboy who is not serious in relationships'.
She eventually changed her perception of him.
Ms Cheng said: 'He is very polite and well-mannered. As a boss, he could be rude to his workers. Yet he treats them very well and has never raised his voice at them.
'I found him very different from my first impression of him.'
Today, she helps out at one of his adult toy stores.
Mr Seah revealed that his customers usually fall into two categories - prostitutes who buy condoms, and well-to-do middle-age couples who go for the higher-end products.
He has had customers who spend more than $400 in a single receipt, he said.
The sex toys are imported from countries such as the US, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Coming from a modest background, Mr Seah - the second youngest child in the family - was raised by his mother, who worked two jobs to make ends meet for her eight children.
His parents divorced when he was two years old.
To fund his studies in Australia, Mr Seah's siblings had pooled together years of their hard-earned savings from working as shop assistants.
He recalls how, as a freshman, he could not bear to eat out for a whole year as the food there was very expensive.
When he returned to Singapore in 2003, he was jobless for about a year as that was during the Sars outbreak, and there weren't many job offers.
Looking back, Mr Seah felt that it was a blessing in disguise and it got him to where he is today.
He let on that sometimes, couples do visit his shops 'to seek help.'
Asked if he minded playing the occasional marriage counsellor, Mr Seah smiled and said: 'I'm just glad to be able to help my customers in any way I can.'
