[Written back in 2022]
In 2020, I made the jump to move to Singapore while working for an American startup. I was working as a community manager and my boss was kind enough to let me leave for 3 months to find myself—little did we both know that I’d end up staying in this city-state as a result of covid19 and because I loved it so much.
After re-reading old futureme.org emails, there was a consistent pattern of me telling myself I wanted to leave the states and try my hand in working overseas. Was it China? Taiwan? Europe? Singapore? There was a yearning to leave Silicon Valley and just see life through a new pair of eyes. In hindsight, I felt like every day was the same boring shit and I didn’t feel alive. I was just living. I worked something out with my amazing manager—as an American, we could go to Singapore for 90 days on a traveler’s visa.
I was inspired by my brother-in-law, who had worked in Singapore for Airbnb. He told me the country was perfect for me as it was a good blend of the east and west. I could get by speaking English, but also practice my Mandarin speaking chops if I wanted. Though Shanghai had been my first choice, I realized my Chinese business writing and speaking skills were not up to par and I probably won’t fare well because of this.
When I flew to Singapore, I networked and met many people in the tech space. A lot of coffee chats happened during this time. I eventually landed a role in a Chinese media company. After a while, the role didn’t work out the way I thought it did—I was being underpaid and overworked, and I decided to leave the company to figure out my next move. I wished them well and didn’t look back. However, I did learn a lot about the media industry and journalism, which helped me get back into my love for writing and media. For that, I’m grateful for my time there and during my unhappiness at this company, I also started The Fang Girl, my own YouTube channel.
As a result of this, I had one month in Singapore to figure out if I was staying or leaving. Once your employment pass ends, the time begins ticking and you have a month to gather your belongings and head out. In between this time, I faced some of my most uncomfortable thoughts about my future. Should I continue interviewing in Singapore? Should I take a sabbatical? How much money do I need to survive if I take a sabbatical? What was I doing with my life?
A lot of journaling and time spent alone was done during this time. There was also a lot of calmness and acceptance during this time; whatever happens would happen. I was reflecting a lot and was comfortable with the unknown. If I had to leave, I could most likely pack up everything in a day. But I did continue to interview with various companies while I was still on Singapore grounds—I didn’t discount anything and just opened up all my options without making a quick decision to leave for the states.
During my time interviewing, I had received two offers from a B2B SaaS company and crypto company, but both didn’t excite me. After being burned by a company that was culturally incompetent, I was selective and didn’t feel enthralled by these two choices—at this point in my career, I didn’t feel like I needed to settle for anything that came my way.
There is a lot of power in having choice, especially when you have nothing to lose. It was almost like…the less I cared, the more valuable I was to them as a candidate because I had other offers.
Then, a role at a fintech company dropped into my lap and I applied. The next few days were a whirlwind. I calmly explained the situation to the recruiting team and they moved swiftly. I was scheduled for a day filled with non-stop interviews and met many people on the team. I felt good about this company based on the vibes. Shortly, I received the offer, my EP was reprocessed, and I got to stay in Singapore. For that, I am so grateful for those involved and who wanted me to stay.
It was a huge relief and also the universe telling me that I am exactly where I need to be.
I’m still living here in this beautiful country and am excited to share my own authentic experiences that will hopefully be helpful to those coming here. I’m bullish on Singapore’s potential to be its own tech hub, perhaps more powerful and prosperous than Silicon Valley.
