I graduated from NUS school of computing 20 yrs ago.

That was around the time the dot com bubble burst.

So I took on a sales job as a personal banker at a consumer bank without much thought. 20 yrs later, I am still at a local bank and one of my biggest regrets has been not pursuing a career in computing, esp now with all the hot tech jobs and companies like Google, Meta etc.

Seriously, at times I feel underemployed, even though I have moved on from a sales to middle office role managing a product. I’ve learnt that people here don’t progress based on intellect.

It’s all sales talk and politicking. I just feel like I’ve practically wasted the 1st 20 years of my life studying for nothing. Short of enrolling myself for a masters, how do I make a mid career change back to tech?

Here are what netizens think:

lots of people like you tbh. graduated at the wrong time (2002 would be just after the dot com bust).

You’re right though. “Sales talk and politicking” gets you up. So many people complain why they study so hard get good grades but can’t climb. That’s because they didn’t acquire the former soft skill beyond books. This is the convo of EQ>IQ. Sales is the money and ultimately money is what the boss is looking for. Sales people typically also excel at politicking so it’s a big advantage to these types of people. But then again it really depends on your industry, there are many professions that do not revolve around sales.

20 over years later, nearing 50. if you got no other commitment liabilities, then the world is your oyster. else, family housing retirement commitment might otherwise hold you back. the classic ideals vs reality dilemma. in the end, you live with your choice, hopefully with your eyes wide open, and with as little regrets as possible.