Would you leave a stable public sector IT career in your mid-30s?
Hi everyone,
I’m in my mid-30s and currently work in IT in the Singapore public sector. I own my own home and don’t have any major financial or family commitments at the moment. I have about 1-1.5 years of expenses in cash as a safety net.
Lately, I’ve been wondering whether I should continue building my career where I am, or start exploring opportunities elsewhere.
A few things have been on my mind:
- I feel I may eventually hit a salary ceiling if I stay for another 5 years. My current total annual compensation is around S$150k.
- At the same time, I value the stability of my current role, and I’m not sure whether leaving a relatively stable position is the right move at this stage of my life.
- I’m not particularly interested in moving to the private sector purely for higher pay, although I’m open to hearing different perspectives.
- I also haven’t interviewed in many years, so I’m honestly not sure how competitive I would be in today’s market.
I don’t feel unhappy in my current role, but I do wonder if staying in the same organisation for too long might limit my long-term career growth. On the other hand, I’m also conscious that the “grass is greener” effect is real, and I don’t want to leave a good situation just because of FOMO.
For those who’ve faced a similar decision in your 30s, how did you think about it?
- What ultimately made you stay or leave?
- Looking back, do you think you made the right decision?
- Is there anything you wish you had considered earlier?
I’d really appreciate hearing your thought process rather than just whether your salary increased.
Thanks!