YuukiGeraldSeptember 16, 2015 at 9:37 PM
Recently, I chanced upon an interesting comment while browsing through the comment section from my "Why did I left Singapore" blog post. I am not sure why I only saw this comment now. But anyway, this is something interesting I have read and would like to write about recently.

I was wondering how many Malaysians actually agree with YuukiGerald that if you are born poor, you are destined to be poor for the rest of your life because you do not have the capital to start out and succeed in life.

When YuukiGerald specifically emphasized "START OUT", my guess is that he is probably saying that Singaporeans have the money to start out a business in Malaysia and live a comfortable life. I am not sure whether I am correct or not. But if I am, I would like clarify.

It seems that Malaysians always have the misconception that all Singaporeans are rich, when in fact, we are not. There are also many poor people in Singapore that foreigners usually do not see. Most Singaporeans might look rich because we can afford all the branded products and travels that Malaysians will find it extremely expensive. But, that is mainly due to the stronger dollars, which sadly, does not allow us to live an extravagant life in Singapore.

Is starting out a business the only way to survive and live a comfortable life in Malaysia? I believe not. Even if it is, starting a business does not actually guarantee success. I wonder why I could still survive in Malaysia when I arrived in Malaysia a few years back with not much saving or a job.

Being a Singaporean does not help a lot when I was searching for a job in Malaysia. On the other hand, I faced many challenges as a foreigner. I have to give up a lot of opportunities due to language barriers. Some employers are just not keen in hiring a foreigner. Perhaps some of you might say that at least I get the chance to be educated in Singapore. But many of you might not have know that how much I have to give up just to complete my studies.

I was not born rich, even though I must admit that I grew up in a much better environment than many others. Even so, I have work full time in the day and attend classes at night just to pay for my degree education. While people of my same age are travelling and having fun in life, I was spending most of my time in school or in office. I have to save most of my salary just to pay for my education.

So, if you are born poor, work harder in life. There are plenty of opportunities for one to go back to school and obtain a certificate. I believe it is always a choice whether a person want it or not. You can either do a part-time course or save enough to return to school.

Paper qualifications is never a key to success. Do not blame your failure for not having a diploma or degree. Indeed, having a degree helps one to climb the corporate ladder earlier and faster. But, that does not apply to everyone. Some jobs actually value work experiences more than paper qualifications.

You may start out with a 1.2K salary with a SPM certificate. Of course you cannot expect to buy a car or even a house when you just started working at the age of 17. But I believe your salary should increase after working for the same company for years. Over the years, you should save up to pay the deposit of your car. If your wage does not increase after a few years, then perhaps you should consider leaving the company and search for better opportunities.

Since you started work earlier than those who chose to pursue further studies, you would have gain much more work experiences than others. I believe this will help you to secure a higher paying job if you decide to search for a new one.

In Singapore, you are lucky to be able to earn SGD 1.2K with just an 'O' levels certificate (equivalent to SPM) After CPF deduction, you will probably left with SGD 1K to take home. Please tell me how are you going to own a car or house in Singapore. I bet you will trouble feeding yourself too.

Someone will then tell me that for Malaysians, there is no need for you to deduct CPF. To save rent, you can travel back and fro Singapore and Malaysia. So, if we earn SGD 1.2K, we might be able to take home SGD 800 (minus all the daily expenses), which is equivalent to MYR 2.4K.

Is it worth it? The time you spent on travelling, is it worth it? You are only left with 5 hours to eat, bathe, sleep and spend with your loved ones. Money can never buy back the time you have lost? I find it not worth just to earn slightly more than what you will be earning in Malaysia.

Furthermore, I do not understand why Malaysians are always converting MYR to SGD. Are you earning MYR and living in Singapore now? If not, I do not see how the conversion rate affects you since you are living in Malaysia. If you are earning SGD and living in Malaysia, then you should be happy for the extra income, but sad for the time you have lost.

There is inflation in Singapore too. Cost of basic necessities are rising while the wages remain stagnant. Furthermore, we have to face so much competitions from both the locals and foreigners, which further depressed the wages in Singapore.


So, it is time for people to stop complaining and making excuses for their failure. There are many Singaporeans and Malaysians who are also born poor, but make the effort and work hard to achieve great things in life. If you are not motivated to make changes and achieve, then no one will be able to help you. It is not a matter whether you are born in Singapore or Malaysia. It is whether you are making effort to change or not. No one is destined to be poor forever, unless you want to be.

I am not trying to sarcastic, but rather just expressing my 2-cents worth of opinion. Feel free to comment and let me know about your thoughts too.

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