Not all hobbies can become a job. Some hobbies you might also want to remain as a hobby, because doing it as a job can destroy your love for it. In all honesty, writing is not the most sustainable of jobs, especially if you are doing freelance writing. Writing thoughts and opinions is also very different from what most companies demand right now, which is content marketing. For the lack of motivation, try and form short career goals that will keep you moving. In the same way that very few students like to study, they still do, because they know it is necessary. However, short goals can give you a short burst to reach a certain target. If after several short goals, you still feel demoralised and demotivated, then perhaps you really are in the wrong industry after all. That being said, not everyone can work as something their passionate in. Find a good reason to work, be it supporting your family, or wanting to travel the world in the future. It could even be to reach financial independence, or to live comfortably. You may never fully enjoy work, but your work will allow you to enjoy the small things in life, and the things that truly matter. All the best!

Agree with Gabriel here. If you think investments are a great way to make a quick buck, you're wrong. If it really was, then everyone would be doing it. Of course, there are times where people really get lucky with it, but if you treat it that way, then it's no different than gambling. Be in gambling or investing, you still need to start with some capital. Investing takes time to learn, to read up (unless it's like SSB/fixed D, but even so, you need to know which one helps you the most). Even choosing the right savings account/credit card, the people here are willing to read up and do some research, so I don't think you'll find an easy answer to your question

After about a year here, I do find that a lot of the people here will advise you to invest in one thing: yourself. In order to get the best returns, you firstly need to know what you are doing. It's very hard to just follow what everyone else is doing, and expect results from that. Moreover, you should invest in what you are passionate in- I don't mean just money. After all, no one else can tell you how to live your life. You know what makes you happy, and you know what makes you feel like you lived life to the fullest. Back on to the topic of finance- just a couple of years ago, some people might tell you the best form of investment would be cryptocurrency. If you asked 1M65, he would have told you CPF. The best form of investment depends on what you want, so invest in yourself. Gain some knowledge, and choose what to do from there.

I think most of the community can agree on one mistake: Investing in something you don't know Beginners sometimes see "investing" as a way to make more money quickly (because of various reasons). Sometimes due to bad advice from friends, or other times due to simple hype, Beginners invest into something that is highly volatile and unknown - without fully understanding what they are getting into ahem crypto . There are many more simple general advice on Seedly to kickstart investing in a safer and more prudent way. However I believe this mistake is not only made by beginners, but even some more veteran investors. So, avoid what you don't know.

Hmm, don’t really agree with some parts of Enk Loui’s answer. Much of what I learnt on the Q&A is that it’s not really about how much you have before you start investing, but more like how well you are covered. Generally the advice is that you should at least have 6-12 months worth of expenses saved as emergency savings. If you are beginning to invest, I do feel that even if you have $100 spare a month, or $500 now, you can still invest using RSPs (Regular Savings Plan) or SSB. Granted, they may not have the best returns, but I assume from this question that you are just beginning to invest, and this is a good start. In fact, I recommend that you start sooner, and with a smaller amount. Let it kick start the habit of investing, rather than waiting for a big amount - it will be harder mentally then.

If I were the one spending, then definitely the picnic. I think staycation everywhere would be overpriced, and I rather save up for overseas holidays. Unfortunately there are not a lot of places in SG where you can actually see the stars. That being said, if it were sponsored then of course I'll take the staycation, cos I'm a #trueblueSingaporean that loves free stuff too

Bye New Year Resolutions

Of course not. Why should they be a market rate for giving to one another? If your rich relatives only want to give you $2, then so be it. Can you imagine if there was a market rate that everyone followed? Let's say your rich neighbour gave you $100, which is the market rate. How are your poorer relatives going to keep up with it? They either give you the $100 and suffer for the next few months (assuming they have to give other kids too), or give lower and feel guilty about it. Same goes for things like wedding. Honestly, if you want to throw a big/expensive wedding, you better be sure you can pay for it. Being one of the last to graduate out of University, I attended many weddings as a student/intern. How am I supposed to pay a $288 for a wedding lunch when I only earn $800? Or how am I supposed to pay for 2 wedding lunches of $188 each? I don't want to give because I fear what other think, but I want to give based on how much I am capable to love/help someone else.

Not experienced in this area, but I can imagine that if I were your boss, and your role requires you to know the day-to-day happenings, or if it requres you to see things through, then I will be very unwilling to allow a sabbatical, especially after only 2 years of working there. It will be a real hassle to hire someone for the year that you are away, just to have him handover everything that was done over to you again. 3 months is possible, but then again, it depends on how fast-paced the company is, and how your role affects them. I think you have to ask yourself if you want to remain in that company, and whether you can still grow there. If you feel that it is time for a change, why not find work in Australia to experience what it is like there before continuing in another comapny in Singapore when you come back? You may experience more than what you have expected, and gain more insights than you would have perceived. All in all, it doesn't make sense for the company to reserve that position for you, and you shouldn't expect them to. However if you feel that it's time for a change, then go for it, and get a job in Australia instead