In the heart of Singapore, a generational divide is brewing, and it's more complex than a perfectly crafted kopi-o.

As I scroll through local forums and LinkedIn posts, I notice a recurring theme: older Singaporeans lamenting that our youth lack the "hunger" to venture overseas, while younger professionals defend their choices to build careers at home.

This conversation reveals more about Singapore's rapid transformation than about any generation's character.

It's a debate that plays out across my dinner table, where my children's eye-rolls have become a barometer for how out-of-touch my generation's career advice might be.

They're navigating a Singapore that feels as different from my early career days as streaming Netflix on a smartphone differs from huddling around a VCR to watch a rented movie.

As both a parent of four and a long-time observer of workplace culture, I find myself awkwardly straddling this divide like a dad attempting to floss at his teenager's birthday party.

It's a dance that's becoming all too familiar in our little red dot.

The PSLE Pressure Cooker: Singapore's Unique Flavor of Ambition

But here's the kicker – staying competitive in Singapore requires its own brand of resilience. Our tiny, hyper-achievement-oriented island has created a pressure cooker that starts bubbling at age 12 with the PSLE.

This isn't just an exam; it's the starting gun for a marathon that defines much of our lives.

Get into a good school, then another good school, then land a cushy job where you can park yourself behind a prestigious desk.

It's not education; it's a grand narrative of success we've conditioned our children to chase.

After years of this high-stakes conditioning, is it any wonder our youth approach career decisions with the caution of a cat eyeing a bathtub?

We've spent decades building a system designed to eliminate uncertainty, only to turn around and lament that our young aren't hungry enough for risk.

The Hunger Games

Last week, I witnessed a scene in Ho Chi Minh City that crystallised years of observations across Asia.

A homeless child played on cardboard outside a fine-dining restaurant while inside, patrons sipped cocktails worth more than her weekly survival budget.

This stark contrast reminded me of a pivotal conversation I had years ago while working for an Indian tech firm.

I'd watched in awe as my Indian colleagues pitched ideas with the audacity of a street magician claiming they could make the Merlion disappear.

When I finally asked one particularly bold presenter about this approach, his answer was illuminating: "Back home, I'm competing with a billion others. If I don't go big, I have to go home. And I don't want to go home."

This survival-driven ambition starkly contrasts the calculated career moves of many young Singaporeans today.

We've built an elaborate sandcastle of economic security, and now we're puzzled when our kids don't want to abandon it for uncertain shores.

It's like complaining that your favourite hawker has perfected their recipe – sometimes, stability is the spice of life.

Redefining Ambition: Beyond the Passport Stamps

Perhaps what we're witnessing isn't diminished ambition but its evolution. In conversations with hundreds of professionals, I've seen younger Singaporeans pioneering different success metrics:

• Seeking depth over geographical breadth

• Prioritising impact and meaning over conventional ladder-climbing

• Building skill portfolios rather than collecting job titles

• Valuing work-life integration over the romance of expat adventures

It's like comparing a vintage watch to a smartwatch – both tell time, but one is about style and the other about functionality.

Neither is inherently superior; they just serve different purposes in different contexts.

The Million-Dollar Question

Before we lament our youth's reluctance to leap into the unknown, we should ask ourselves: Have we created a system that punishes failure so severely that prudence becomes the only rational choice?

In a world where remote work increasingly blurs borders, perhaps the next generation's ambition doesn't lack substance – it simply wears different clothes.

As I watch my own children navigate their early career choices, I'm learning to recognize ambition in its many disguises.

It could be my daughter turning down a prestigious but unfulfilling overseas scholarship to build something meaningful at home.

Or perhaps my son choosing depth over breadth in his professional development.

Charting New Waters

The greatest act of patriotism might not be pushing our youth to replicate our journeys but creating space for them to chart courses that respond to a world we could barely imagine when we began our own careers.

After all, Singapore wasn't built by following established playbooks – it was built by adapting boldly to changing circumstances.

And that, perhaps, is exactly what our youth are doing now – crafting a future with the precision of a master chef perfecting a new recipe and the creativity of a street artist turning a blank wall into a masterpiece.

So the next time you're tempted to shake your head at a young professional choosing to stay put, remember: success isn't one-size-fits-all.

It's about playing smart within the rules of the game we've created. And who knows? Maybe this new generation is rewriting the rulebook altogether.

In the end, isn't that the most Singaporean thing of all?

🎧 Podcast

Wong Su-Yen is a distinguished international leader with extensive experience as a Non-Executive Director and Chairman across various global organisations. Her roles span multiple countries and industries, including telecommunications, media, and FinTech.

As the founder and CEO of Bronze Phoenix, Su-Yen helps organisations navigate transformation at the intersection of technology, strategy, and people. She is an adjunct professor at the National University of Singapore Business School and a Duke University's Executive Education Faculty member.

This episode is brought to you by Deel, the all-in-one platform simplifying global team management with payroll, HR, IT, and compliance solutions, trusted by over 35,000 businesses worldwide. Learn more at ⁠deel.com/adriantan⁠.

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