A GLOBAL recruitment company has found that more than half of the workers in Singapore regret what they chose to study back in school, polytechnic or university.
One in three is also uncertain about his or her ultimate career choice, according to an online survey by Kelly Services. The results were released on Wednesday.
The findings are distilled from the answers given by more than 2,000 people who had sought Kelly Services' help to land a job. They form part of the company's global survey of 115,000 people by its offices in 33 countries.
People of all age groups, educational levels and professions took part. In Singapore, most participants were in business, engineering, financial services and information technology.
One person who could identify with the survey results was Ms Aileen Toh, 34, a legal officer for 10 years.
'Many times, I've wondered if I could have done something else, but I was never sure enough to make a career switch,' she said.
She considered but ultimately turned down a marketing job in a charity several years ago, because she was not sure if the work suited her and if there were long-term career prospects.
Of those surveyed, 52 per cent wished they had studied something 'totally different'. About 10 per cent said they definitely chose the wrong career, while 29 per cent were not sure.
However, they baulked at changing careers.
The biggest obstacle cited was money, followed by the lack of time to search for a new career and family responsibilities.
There are 'opportunity costs' to such a move, said Mr Dhirendra Shantilal, senior vice-president of Kelly Services Asia-Pacific.
They include having to pick up new skills from scratch, starting lower in the office hierarchy and taking a pay cut.
Mr David Ang, executive director of the Singapore Human Resources Institute, advised employers to spend time understanding the interests and aspirations of employees to see how they can best be deployed and how their skills can be upgraded.
On a more upbeat note, over half in Singapore said the education system had prepared them well for working life.
The Singapore school system ranked 13th among the 33 countries, just behind that in Japan and the United States. India's system was No. 1, with 69 per cent giving it the thumbs up.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on August 3, 2008.
