College Graduates Celebrate Degree by Returning to Old High School Job
After earning degrees, Singaporean youth find themselves back in the same food court jobs they held at 17.
SINGAPORE — In what experts are calling “a beautiful example of career recycling,” dozens of Singaporean college graduates are reportedly returning to their high school part-time jobs, but now with degrees, and debt.
Jessica Tan, 23, proudly walked across the graduation stage this past July with a bachelor’s degree in Communications. Just three weeks later, she returned to the very same juice shop where she spent her summer breaks in high school. Her degree now hangs above the blender.
“They told me to chase my dreams,” Jessica said. “I just didn’t know the dream would involve me rejoining the workforce at the exact location I left when I was 17, except now with a diploma and a bank account in critical condition.”
The shop’s manager, who also has a degree in marketing, welcomed her back “with both nostalgia and a S$0.50 raise.”
Singapore’s higher education system has grown rapidly in the last decade, with more young people attending university than ever before. But many graduates say they now feel “slightly misled” by the idea that education would lead to upward mobility and not just a more refined vocabulary while taking orders.
Universities continue to advertise, promising graduates will become “leaders of tomorrow.” Meanwhile, the labor market offers roles that mostly require soft skills, hard labor, and a willingness to pretend you’re passionate about bubble tea.
“There’s this idea that if you get a degree, doors will open,” said Matthew Hong, a recent business school graduate now working in the same mall where he used to skip class. “Turns out, the only door that opened was the back one… to the storeroom.”
Some graduates are choosing to “embrace the loop,” viewing their return to old jobs as poetic rather than tragic. Others are quietly updating their LinkedIn to say “freelancing” while praying no one recognizes the uniform in their profile photo.
In response to mounting complaints from unemployed and underemployed graduates, the Ministry of Education has promised to “evaluate curricular outcomes.”
Economic analysts agree the issue is complex. “You can’t just fix the labor market with motivational posters,” said one researcher, “though they are cheaper than job creation.”
Some employers have reportedly begun listing degrees as “preferred but not require… but also might make us think you’re overqualified, so please don’t mention it.”
Meanwhile, education officials are considering new policies, including:
Introducing a national “Return-to-Work” Week for graduates re-entering their old jobs
Adding “Job Market Reality” as a compulsory first-year course
Offering post-grad therapy vouchers… and smoothie discounts
Back at the smoothie bar, Jessica is adjusting to her new role as “Shift Leader.” When asked if she had any advice for incoming university students, she replied, “Yes. Don’t throw away your old uniforms. They might come in handy.”
She then asked if this interview could count as “communications work experience.”
We write the headlines that haven’t happened yet, but probably will. Subscribe to The Rambutan for Southeast Asia’s sharpest fake news.