Is there still such a thing as iron rice bowl in this time and age?

Traditionally, civil service has been deemed an iron rice bowl since it was basically impossible to be sacked no matter how incompetent you were. Usually, you will be fired if you blatantly break the law.

If someone has no pride and is willing to be stuck in a low level position after being "condemned" for making a mistake, then the job will be there as long as the person doesn't do anything illegal and is willing to absorb all the bullying and handle being looked down on.

I left the civil service after 3 years because I couldn't stand the culture. In the private sector, you either perform or you get booted/ forced to leave.

Personally, I used to think that there is such a thing called an iron rice bowl, but not anymore.

In this day and age, it is so common to witness the restructuring of companies caused by factors such as technological advancements. With the job market evolving faster than ever before, we might never know when we'll be rendered irrelevant if we are not equipped with the right set of skills.

As such, it seems imperative for us to ensure a growth mindset regardless of the industry we are in, by constantly pushing our own boundaries and gaining skills instead of stagnating in our comfort zones. :-) I personally find it important to be self-aware in the areas that I should grow, and also to look into skills that I might find useful in the near future.

With things evolving at such a fast speed these days, the job you have right now (might seem like an 'iron rice bowl') might not even exist in a couple of years down the road. ​​​