*photo for illustration purposes only
Dear TRS,
I never expected that serving my country faithfully for 2 years as an officer would cost me my dream job because my prospective employer deemed that I was too old to be a fresh graduate at 26.
After my ORD in 2010, I went on to pursue a degree in finance at Columbia University. Not only was I active as a sportsman, I was also continuously on the Dean's list and did several top-tier internships.
After graduation, I managed to secure an assessment center and panel interview with a top investment bank for the position of sales and trading associate. One of the happiest moments of my undergraduate life was when I was shortlisted to have a group interview with a Senior Vice-President.
However, one thing that struck me at the group interview was that I was the oldest in the room and some 21 and 22 year-old kids who were as accomplished as I was even though they were 4 years younger mainly because of the time wasted during my NS stint.
Naturally, they seemed like a better bet with more energy and malleability as new employees on an accelerated scheme. This was indeed confirmed by a friend from the banking industry as well.
As the world gets more globalised, I have seen more and more of my classmates go overseas to work. But the very irony is that we do not feel how much NS has robbed us of even though the effects are seen in the very many foreigners Singapore has adopted.
We have been told that NS is a sacrifice necessary to protect our country for how it has provided for us. But why is is that the immigrants who benefit the most are not required to serve in exchange for the benefits they get?
I still managed to find a job at the end, but it's quite disturbing to see the effects of that 2 years on your career on the global stage. Looking back, that false sense of patriotism that NS gave me really has no place in the globallised world.
XP Lim
TRS contributor