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4 Tips Young Adults Wish They Knew Before Starting Their First Job

Congratulations on graduating! Transitioning from being a full-time student to a working adult may be exciting, but challenging as well. Here are some tips to help you kickstart your journey:

1. Ask questions

As you join the workforce for the first time, there are likely many things that you may not be familiar with. Your colleagues understand that and will likely not expect you to already be familiar with the processes and work, so go ahead and ask questions for anything you might be unsure of.

Asking questions helps you understand and pick things up easier and faster. This enables you to ease into your new job quicker and allows you to better navigate this transition. You are only a first jobber once, so seize this opportunity to use it as a learning experience!

2. Build your professional network

A new job provides you the opportunity to work with many different people from all walks of life. Seniors that you work with have accumulated more work and life experiences than you do, and they might be able to help you with your career decisions. Any of these connections that you build in your day-to-day work might also end up opening new opportunities for you.

Take the time to learn about the different roles that your colleagues have and how they fit into the company’s structure. An important part of having a successful career is about who you know and who knows you. Having a large professional network may even help you in advancing your career.

3. Utilise and prioritise your time wisely

One of the most essential skills you should have is knowing how to use and prioritise your time well as you embark on your career. Prioritising helps you decide what to work on first based on the importance of the task. You may feel overwhelmed by the amount of work that you have on-hand, but with proper planning and prioritising, you should be able to cope well. Learning how to prioritise your time will allow you to be more productive and efficient and helps you to accomplish more work in a shorter amount of time.

To start off, prioritise your work by listing down all the tasks that you have on-hand and highlight the urgent tasks. This will ensure that you have a clearer overview of your tasks and deadlines, enabling you to decide on the tasks to work on first.

4. Plan your finances well

One of the most anticipated parts about working is getting your paychecks at the end of every month. While you may be tempted to go all out on a shopping spree, you should also keep in consideration the responsibilities and commitments you may have, now that you’re a working adult. These include saving up for larger ticket items, such as buying a house or planning for your wedding.

You can start planning your finances by creating a budget and allocating your monthly salary into three different categories: needs, flexible spending and savings.

You should also consider allocating your finances to the purchase of life insurance. Within the first few years of working, there are many new responsibilities you can expect – getting your first home, caring for your elderly parents and perhaps paying off education loans. Getting life insurance for yourself is important to protect you and your loved ones while you work towards your goals. Consider purchasing life insurance as early as possible to get covered at a lower premium. With FWD Term Life Plus insurance, get a million-dollar life insurance cover from as low as S$1 a day1 . FWD allows you to purchase online with no medical check-up required2.

Find out more about FWD Term Life Plus insurance or get a quote now! Still have more questions? Speak to one of our consultants or Whatsapp us for more information.


This is for general information only and does not constitute financial advice. This is not a contract of insurance. You are advised to read the policy contract for details.

Buying a life insurance policy is a long-term commitment. You should consider if this policy is suitable for your needs, or you may wish to seek advice from a qualified financial adviser before making a commitment to purchase this policy. Switching from an existing policy to a new one may have potential disadvantages.

This policy is protected under the Policy Owners’ Protection Scheme which is administered by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation (SDIC). This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

You should consider if this policy is suitable for your needs, or you may wish to seek advice from a qualified financial adviser before making a commitment to purchase this policy. Switching from an existing policy to a new one may have potential disadvantages.

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

1 Terms and Conditions Apply.

2 For customers aged 50 and below, you may purchase up to S$1.5 million coverage without medical check-up if you are in the pink of health. For customers above age 50, the allowable limit for purchase without medical check-up is S$500,000 sum assured.

Posted in Insurance, InsureDIY, Investments