Hi, I am posting this due to constant worries that I am having over my financial situation and Uni studies.

I am 23M who ord-ed in May this year, and has been working in temp/contract jobs since May till the end of October this year. My parents want me to go for University, but my GPA in Poly was 2.5 so I am unable to qualify for all the local unis, other than SUSS Part-Time.

I have applied to James Cook Uni in Singapore, as well as no-bond sponsorship which will reduce the tuition fee to 50% of the total fees (The original school fee is 60k) – So with the sponsorship I am looking at about 30k worth of Tuition fees to pay. The reason I have applied for JCU is because it’s the only Uni with a course that is related to what I used to study in Poly, and I am granted several module exemptions which allows me to graduate faster.

I have many worries – I still have no clear idea on what I really want to do as a Professional Career (What if my studies actually doesn’t contribute to my future career?) and my family’s financial situation is a mess. My parents barely have any savings for retirement (Mother has only about 50k savings also not much in CPF, apparently my Father has only about 200k savings, no CPF).

My father is a foreigner (hence no CPF) who has been living overseas for the past 10+ years, and while I have been trying to have a proper discussion with him about my Uni, due to time differences and his tight schedule so far I am unable to have a proper talk with him (only had short 3~5min conversations) even after several weeks.

I am feeling very frustrated and horrible now… Parents are getting old, my father wants to retire soon and my mother told me that she is depending on me and my younger sibling for her retirement. Considering my parents’ total savings would be only about 250k, I feel so helpless right now… And I don’t want my younger sibling to worry about supporting my parents. I have been constantly thinking whether enrolling into JCU is the right choice to make, and contemplated several other options.

Now, JCU wants me to make a decision by end of today, on whether I want to continue my enrolment with them (Have to make first payment of 12k), as school is starting lessons next week. I have only about 14k, so I will need to borrow from my parents the remaining 16k to study in JCU.

I can’t help but worrying that finance-wise I have no time to be studying full-time and that I should be working, gaining work experience while figuring out what I truly want as a Career. Studying at SUSS part-time would also be cheaper than JCU’s tuitions fees even with its sponsorship (SUSS 15~20k vs JCU 30k) allowing me to work and study at the same time, but there will be no exemptions and I would only start next year July, so I will likely only graduate in 2027/2028 (In comparison, JCU allows me to graduate in 2024/2025). This would also mean that I am turning down the JCU sponsorship and most likely will not be given a second chance. Considering that most job positions with decent or better pays require at least a Bachelor’s, I am very torn between my options and deciding what is the correct path to take.

I am very sorry for the long walls of text… But I feel so lost now and I hope to know other’s opinion on my situation and your recommendations on what I should do… Thank you.