On 23 July 2008, the Straits Times carried an article ("After the slog of varsity, we merit top pay don’t we?")on what today’s generation of youths expect out of their careers when they graduate.  In summary, lots of money and privilege.

While the Straits Time would have picked the most obnoxious of those interviewed to shock readers, these interviewees would have echoed the sentiments of their generation to some extent. 

And so it appears that there is a prevailing lack of humility.  Sad too is the elitist attitude of law students, who comprised the majority of those sampled.

For these youths, the financial turmoil and impending recession (isn’t it already upon us?) in our post-subprime, post-Lehman Brothers, world might be a snap back to reality.

1.  Sure, everyone (including me) would like to earn a five figure salary.  But why is a $3,000 starting salary being dismissed as "pittance" ?  Lots of Singaporeans who have worked for years are still far from earning that.  There are lots of Singaporeans who would love to earn $3,000.

"ONE of the top lamentations of my peers in junior college would be the low starting salaries here.  Recent employment survey results from SMU and NTU indicate that their Class of 2007 is taking home an average salary of $3,040 and $2,900, respectively.  But for some of my peers, those figures are a pittance: They want five figures.  After all, they are among the top academic performers in their batch - they have always aimed to be the best.  I don’t believe they should be faulted for this - society’s pressures and parents’ concerns all contributed in cultivating this mindset.  I declined a scholarship at the urging of my parents and ex-colleagues from the offer board.  Their reasoning: It is better to read law and command a higher pay as a lawyer - very practical advice in light of the rising costs of living and supporting a family.  These are pragmatic issues every age group has to grapple with, not just youths." - Samantha Eng, 19, has a place to read law at the University of Warwick.

2.  I fail to see how a person earning $4,000+ as a fresh law graduate might end up living "hand-to-mouth day after day".  And if Gerard has to be mercenary at to work, he’d better be careful not to do anything that would cause the Law Society to come after him.

"AN ATTRACTIVE pay package will be my foremost concern when I enter the workforce.  It’s never a good feeling trying to live hand-to-mouth day after day. There’s no pleasure in struggling through work just to put food on the table.  Furthermore, how much you earn factors into your concept of self-worth. A five-figure salary is definitely going to inject more confidence into someone than a far lesser sum.  You acquire respect, a sense of achievement and greater self-esteem in a high-paying job: It’s long-entrenched human nature.  So if I have to be mercenary when searching for my first job, I will." - Eef Gerard van Emmerik, 19, has a place to read law in SMU.

3.  Ms Angela Xu is not going to be gainfully employed for very long after graduation.  Because law pupils typically spend quite a bit of their time filing, photocopying and making administrative arrangements for meetings with clients.  Neurosurgeons don’t serve hospital meals, but they start off as housemen where the learn basic skills of their profession.

"WHEN I graduate this year and start my first full-time job, I expect to be gainfully employed.  So called ‘grunt work’ - filing, photocopying, making administrative arrangements for office conferences - should not be part of my portfolio.  It should be my secretary’s lot. And yes, that means I expect to have a secretary.  Does that make me an arrogant ‘Gen Y’ graduate?  It makes me a Gen Y graduate, but arrogance has nothing to do with it.  Efficiency is the issue here - offices would be better off if skills and abilities were allocated optimally.  The goal is to utilise individuals in a manner which produces the best results from the worker.  You don’t make neurosurgeons serve hospital meals.  Simply put, I expect to be given work which requires the skills of a graduate." - Angela Xu, 22, is a post-graduate in law at University College London.

So another birthday has passed.  I’m tempted to say "dying" because that’s what "growing older" or "growing wiser" actually is, depending on whether you see the cup as half empty or half full.  It didn’t help that the first birthday greeting I got was from my mother, who wrongly "overaged" me. 

"Happy 38th Birthday"

"Thanks Mummy.  Do I really look that old?"

She didn’t get it, my message, and went on about aging graciously.  And I thought mothers don’t get these things wrong.  Anyway, God willing, I’ll get there — 38 — one day,  but thankfully not this year.

Jed (and his mummy) gave me a Superman birthday balloon.  The card which comes along with it says "Man of Steel".  Quite cool, now if only I were really that great.