Mr Chen Shao Chun says his time in tech and finance taught him a lesson in knowing when to get out of the game.
“When I was seven, I came home to my mum crying because creditors had put stickers on our belongings due to our debts. Seeing my mum cry and the collections company appraise everything in our home left a big mark on me.” Despite a growing realisation that the job was not aligned with his true interests – he was more interested in storytelling than analytics – he endured the “100-hour” work weeks and cold sandwich desk lunches to climb the corporate ladder.
Mr Chen Shao Chun, pictured in New York during a corporate training event with JP Morgan, was a finance graduate whose decision to leave the sector was defined by an unexpected personal tragedy. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHEN SHAO CHUN In 2016, he joined Google, his “dream employer”, where the perks extended beyond lifestyle benefits to include substantial compensation. Mr Chen calculates that at its peak, his annual earnings, including salary and equity, amounted to $350,000.
After a pandemic-driven surge in growth, tech companies had to reckon with shrinking profits and a more hostile regulatory environment across the globe. While his new path has meant a reduction in income, prudent investments and the equity accumulated during his time at Google have enabled him to fund his new lifestyle.He says: “Day to day, I wake up, make breakfast, eat healthily, go to the gym or pool, turn on my laptop, start building up my YouTube channel, write scripts and prepare for my class every Thursday at NUS.”