u/Asmeth_Turtle

Hi Guys. Forgive me for a rather grim post. 24M Business and Pol Science graduate from a top Asian university with slightly above average (but not 2:1) grades. Nothing to write home about. I graduated in 2025 and have not managed to snag a finance (or any) job for a year since. I have been looking for roles across Asia with a focus in Singapore (bonded to a government organisation). I am not a citizen so visa pressures apply to my plight.

I did not completely waste the year as I interned in a boutique management consulting firm in Singapore for about 5 months while taking courses in Financial Modelling, Python and SQL, and leveraging AI to build finance related tools and applications (Mainly an equity research engine). I have past internships in financial services and corporate accounting and audit. I'm not gonna pretend to be a finance expert but am competent enough to sit in interviews with preparation.

Sorry for the long context. I haven't had luck in getting interviews for over 500 applications at least, approximately 28. That is an abysmal hump I havent been able to cross. I was planning on taking the CFA but at the moment cannot afford to sit (will try coughing something up). I would really appreciate your guidance and help in what I can do to position myself better for finance roles.

I'm not gonna lie, im open to anything - boutiques, small shops, any type of role as im confident in my ability to find a way somehow. But jesus, this search has wounded my mental so bad, I dont think there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I've applied everywhere (and trust me when I say this). My networking admittedly hasn't been great so would appreciate your tested advice on how to approach it.

The visa does pose an issue as the market is bad enough for Singaporeans, let alone a foreigner. But I refuse to admit that it is the only reason for my problem. Feels like a cop out. So anyone both in SG or elsewhere, if you could advice me on what I'm missing, what I can do, and what I need to stop, I'm all ears. Grill me if you have to, I'm sure there's good enough reason for that.

Life has been grim. I can't get myself to live off my parents (who are a godsend) when others in my cohort are making life plans. I'm tired of being a bum. I'd appreciate it if yall could set me straight somehow. I aint the smartest guy, but I'm sure as shit gonna try becoming one. I'm really sorry for writing an uncharacteristically long post. Hope I've covered everything. Thanks in advance.

I graduated from university last August and to this day have not been able to find a stable job. It's been brutal, financially and moreso mentally. I had, for the most part, felt dissapointed in myself for forces that were out of my control (the job market stinks like Sadaharu's dookie). Gintama, the anime, was something I watched a little bit of back when I was 10 years old when the dubbed episodes used to air (maybe 20 of them). But I knew that I had to watch it fully and properly. Despite the thought of sitting through 360 or so episodes, on September of 2025, I decided to start it again and take it slowly.

It's May 16th, 2026. I just finished watching the Final movie and now.....I feel empty. As sad as I may sound, I'm more thankful for this experience. This phase of my life—marred by joblessness and insane amounts of self doubt—had its bright spots, with each spot being an episode of Gintama. While I know that the anime is heavily catered to Japanese people, I was able to get about 70% of the references and enjoyed learning more about the others I was unfamiliar with. There's a beauty in Gintama that I just dont have the words (currently) to describe. Never have I seen a piece of media blend in toilet humour (I love that stuff btw), Samurai, and positivity better than what Sorachi was able to do.

I sometimes hate the premise of people's decision to like certain characters. "He has flaws that's why I can relate to him more", "not everything is black and white". I never understood these reasons for liking characters because they're too real. Gintama flips the script on our heads. Characters are not flawed, they just can be extremely stupid. And stupidity ain't a flaw, its an inherent feature. With all their imperfections, the countless episodes always tell you this without fail—the world may go to shit but as long you have faith and hope, your will is always gonna carry you. Thats the black and white of the anime that stuck with me.

I could go on about why I liked each and every character but that would take days for me to write (this is just an initial reaction/ramble). What stands out to me is the will, the way, and the works of what they stand for and exemplified. That resonated with me heavily and carried me through a tough time. Its almost like my day one. I don't like the idea of calling it a comfort show because that dissociates investment with leisure. I was invested in gintama the same way the anime was invested in me (this doesnt make a lick of sense, excuse my brain).

Now I don't know what to do or watch because nothing is going to beat this. And the worst part is I cant get myself to rematch even a single episode yet, I dunno why. But what I am is thankful for everyone involved in making and producing this manga and anime. I'm glad I followed through. Now I can always say that I've watched Gintama. That has a good ring to it.