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[h=2]The disadvantage of having no family[/h]
Hi Gilbert,
Thank you for your support. I would like to share my story of struggle in our nation full of constitutional discrimination.
I have no family. My parents died when I was very young and I have been struggling living from place to place.
It is a vicious circle when you are poor, homeless and struggling to dig yourself out of it. When you are a homeless teenager, your priority would be to make enough money to pay rent, not study. I did just that and left school after attaining my O levels.
When you have no family nucleus, you do not qualify for government subsidized flat. Neither do you qualify to buy unless you have hard cash.
I lived with a plastic bag of clothes when I was 17. Today, I am in a better position. When you are alone, below 21 and poor, you do not even qualify to get a bank loan to study. The bank would want a guarantor or a mortgage.
When I finally managed to get a bank loan for my poly enrollment when I passed 21, I did not do very well in my studies.
I had to work 8 hours a day and go to school for another 8 hours a day and slept very little. For 3 years, I did that. I suffered so much for it.
Today, I have my diploma but it is becoming redundant as recruiters expect you to be able to merge roles such as IT and copy-writing.
They don’t tell you that when you are in poly. I am competing with young graduates and foreigners. I still do not qualify for a flat because I cannot afford to buy from the open market.
Thus I am living in a cockroach infested hdb unit where I rented a room. It is the only place I can afford because if I move, I have to pay the agent again.
I have invested all my savings, however little, into the degree I am currently pursuing. I had applied for NUS with my SAT.
But I couldn’t get in even though I have many years of working experience. I was told my SAT scores were average.
Of course, the foreigner’s kids with money to study scored a good 700 per subject and I could only manage 600.
That leaves me with no other choice but to get private education. I was told if I wanted to get a job in stat board, I wouldn’t qualify.
My degree is only for 3 years, not the four years kind with first class honours etc. Again, where is my fair competition? I am 38.
By the time I graduate, I will be 40. I am aware of the age discrimination out there. I have been looking for work.
Where is my fair competition?
Today, a PR with a family nucleus has more rights than me even though all my previous three generations of ancestors are all born in Singapore.
I don’t even qualify for housing.
I am being discriminated for being orphaned and single. I failed to get good grades because I needed to work like a dog to pay rent and school fees.
Today, I am struggling to pay my school fees and rent because I don’t get paid a lot of money and I am out of job.
Again, Gilbert. Great job. I will be there on 1st May.
With best regards,
Nelly
Editor’s note: We are seeing the writer to find out how best we can help her.
Hi Gilbert,
Thank you for your support. I would like to share my story of struggle in our nation full of constitutional discrimination.
I have no family. My parents died when I was very young and I have been struggling living from place to place.
It is a vicious circle when you are poor, homeless and struggling to dig yourself out of it. When you are a homeless teenager, your priority would be to make enough money to pay rent, not study. I did just that and left school after attaining my O levels.
When you have no family nucleus, you do not qualify for government subsidized flat. Neither do you qualify to buy unless you have hard cash.
I lived with a plastic bag of clothes when I was 17. Today, I am in a better position. When you are alone, below 21 and poor, you do not even qualify to get a bank loan to study. The bank would want a guarantor or a mortgage.
When I finally managed to get a bank loan for my poly enrollment when I passed 21, I did not do very well in my studies.
I had to work 8 hours a day and go to school for another 8 hours a day and slept very little. For 3 years, I did that. I suffered so much for it.
Today, I have my diploma but it is becoming redundant as recruiters expect you to be able to merge roles such as IT and copy-writing.
They don’t tell you that when you are in poly. I am competing with young graduates and foreigners. I still do not qualify for a flat because I cannot afford to buy from the open market.
Thus I am living in a cockroach infested hdb unit where I rented a room. It is the only place I can afford because if I move, I have to pay the agent again.
I have invested all my savings, however little, into the degree I am currently pursuing. I had applied for NUS with my SAT.
But I couldn’t get in even though I have many years of working experience. I was told my SAT scores were average.
Of course, the foreigner’s kids with money to study scored a good 700 per subject and I could only manage 600.
That leaves me with no other choice but to get private education. I was told if I wanted to get a job in stat board, I wouldn’t qualify.
My degree is only for 3 years, not the four years kind with first class honours etc. Again, where is my fair competition? I am 38.
By the time I graduate, I will be 40. I am aware of the age discrimination out there. I have been looking for work.
Where is my fair competition?
Today, a PR with a family nucleus has more rights than me even though all my previous three generations of ancestors are all born in Singapore.
I don’t even qualify for housing.
I am being discriminated for being orphaned and single. I failed to get good grades because I needed to work like a dog to pay rent and school fees.
Today, I am struggling to pay my school fees and rent because I don’t get paid a lot of money and I am out of job.
Again, Gilbert. Great job. I will be there on 1st May.
With best regards,
Nelly
Editor’s note: We are seeing the writer to find out how best we can help her.
