Tossed headfirst into the working world, graduating students often face pressure to land an “ideal” job, climb the corporate ladder, and increase their salary. However, true career health goes beyond traditional benchmarks like chasing titles or pay raises – it is about building a solid foundation for long-term growth.
Through intentional planning, building transferable skills, and taking proactive steps, it is possible for young professionals like you to chart your own future amid today’s increasingly diverse working world.
The non-linear progression of today’s workers
Today, career growth is no longer just about how specialised you can get in your field, but also how adaptable you can be. Advancing career-wise often involves developing hard skills that will enhance your contributions as an employee, while also strengthening your soft skills to gain confidence and adopt a greater sense of purpose in your work.
Workforce Singapore has a list of services designed to empower first-time jobseekers to chart your own unique career pathways. This way, you’ll be making informed career decisions that befit your goals and personal working style.
1. Career Starter Pack
First things first, download the Career Starter Pack. This is a step-by-step guide that helps you navigate the early stages of your job search in five key steps: Shaping and planning your career, pursuing job opportunities, enhancing your resume, preparing for interviews, and starting strong in your first job.
The guide includes helpful resources such as a personality-career compatibility quiz, resume templates, interview tips, job listings, career events, and practical advice on what to do when you enter the workforce. It serves as a one-stop resource to support and guide you as you begin your professional journey.
2. Polaris by VCA
If personalised career guidance is what you’re after, then bookmark Polaris by VCA for career growth through structured planning.
This specialised career guidance programme is designed to help young adults entering the workforce. It offers one-on-one support from experienced Volunteer Career Advisors (VCAs) through a tailored Career Development Plan, which is informed by practical industry insights.
The initiative will provide you access to experienced professionals who can help you craft a career development plan, understand industry trends, and explore job market demands. The programme also includes exposure to career pathways within your preferred industry, ensuring that your career trajectory is guided by real-world knowledge.
Ms Dilys Boey, chief executive of WSG, said: “We are heartened to see many Volunteer Career Advisors stepping forward to provide peer support to fellow workers through their career journeys. The expansion of the VCA initiative to provide guidance to young workforce entrants under Polaris by VCA represents a significant step in our ongoing efforts to help individuals make more informed career decisions as they navigate their career journeys. By connecting young adults with experienced professionals, we hope to complement existing school-based career guidance initiatives with access to valuable industry insights and professional networks to support their longer-term career growth.”
Polaris by VCA forms part of the Career Health SG initiative, which supports SkillsFuture and aims to empower Singaporeans to make informed career decisions, enhance their skills, and build long-term career resilience.
Broadening the definition of success
It used to be commonplace for students to follow a select number of educational pathways – standard academic routes that were seen as the only way to have a stable, conventional career. As vocational pathways become increasingly diverse, having a flexible mindset is a must. Young professionals must embrace the reality that “success” cannot be defined by just a job title, salary, or straight-line trajectory, but by continuous growth, adaptability, and personal fulfilment.
Over 100,000 jobs await. Discover your perfect role on MyCareersFuture today.
In his 2025 National Day Rally speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong acknowledged the diversity of non-traditional options available for the current generation of Singaporeans entering the workforce. He noted that they can find success and be supported in their aspirations across a wide spectrum of industries and roles, from driving social impact as changemakers to pursuing content creation.
To gain more insights into industries which you are keen to enter, explore the following programmes and services that offer preparatory workshops and training to cultivate career readiness through practical experience.
1. CareersHorizon
CareersHorizon is your gateway to an extensive catalogue of career events to support your job search and professional growth. It includes job fairs and micro-learning courses to expert-led workshops and seminars. With this initiative, you can harness these resources to gain greater exposure to alternative career options, understand industry trends, and pick up transferable skills.
2. GRaduate Industry Traineeships (GRIT) Programme
Fresh grads might note that many job listings require experience, even for entry-level positions. For a boost of experience, turn to the GRIT Programme for a curated list of traineeship opportunities.
These traineeship opportunities last between three to six months across various sectors. Providing structured on-the-job training, the initiative aims to help you gain industry-relevant experience, enhance your employability, and prepare you for full-time employment.
While it may sound like any internship programme out there, the GRIT Programme has its own fair share of benefits, such as traineeship allowances co-funded by the government and host organisations. The organisations are required to provide monthly traineeship allowances ranging from $1,800 to $2,400 – higher than the $1,000 to $1,500 average for internships in Singapore.
Traineeship opportunities are offered in both the public and private sectors, such as Singapore Tourism Board, Land Transport Authority (LTA), Ministry of Manpower, Development Bank of Singapore (DBS), Grab, Sembcorp, and more.
You also don’t have to be a current student to participate — the programme is open to graduates from universities, polytechnics, ITE, and other educational institutions.
Your career, your path, your purpose
By tapping into available resources like the Career Starter Pack, Polaris by VCA, CareersHorizon, and programmes such as GRIT, you can explore diverse opportunities, build practical experience, and develop greater clarity about creating and approaching your own goals. Equipped with the right tools and mindset, you can shape your professional journey to align with your evolving interests, values, and aspirations.
After all, progressing through your career should not be a rat race to attain the ideal job or live the ideal lifestyle, but about a lifelong journey of building something that is uniquely your own – realising the best version of yourself.
