Balancing Act: Inside the Life of a 26-year-old Double-hat
Marcus as an instructor at Revolution SG
Source: Marcus Tan
Back when 26-year-old Marcus Tan graduated from the National University of Singapore(NUS) with a Degree in Social Work in 2023, he was devoted to contributing to the community and providing a helping hand to others in various ways through his jobs.
He believed that passion would be the main driving force in his career. A year later, he realised that this idealistic perception was no longer practical.
“With an ever-increasing cost of living, I feel that social work is a highly underpaying and unsustainable job in Singapore,” he said.
The arduousness of a career in social work would be taxing on his mental health, he shared. Nonetheless, he was determined to work on his health, which improved tremendously when he entered the spin community.
Marcus is enthusiastic about rhythmic cycling, and his passion for it grew over the years, which led him to becoming an instructor. He absolutely adores the welcoming spin community at Revolution SG, one of Singapore’s fastest-growing spin studios. As a spin instructor for over a year, his supportive community fuelled his passion to have a platform to inspire his riders to grow stronger together.
“I really appreciate my riders-turned-friends. They keep me going as they grow with me too. It warms my heart that they become stronger together as they attend my classes more often.”
Marcus has always affirmed the positivity which the community brought to him, adding that he wanted this “value-adding aspect in his life”.
What Marcus does at Prudential Singapore, from events to roadshows
Source: Marcus Tan
After he obtained his Degree in Social Work in 2023, Marcus contemplated over the career path he would take, as he was convinced he would not go down the social work path again.
Marcus realised that he had acquired transferable skills which would be useful to him as a financial advisor. Despite knowing the difficulty of the job, the flexibility of the job appealed to him and he knew that he would reap the seeds he sowed if he worked hard.
“I had a eureka moment when I realised that I can use what I learnt in university to my advantage. It’s all about seizing the opportunity when it arises!”
As a financial advisor(FA) at Prudential Singapore since June 2023, Marcus’ schedule is largely flexible, only reporting to the office occasionally. At the Prudential office, he prepares for his appointments with his clients, attends FA trainings and meets with his mentors, just to name a few.
He compares himself to many other financial advisors, who may not always have genuine intentions towards their clients. Marcus is a firm believer in helping others, even if he does not benefit greatly.
“Take accident insurance plans for example– they are significant to a client, but less to the financial advisor. Some financial advisors tend to avoid promoting such plans as the earnings are slightly lower,” he said.
Feeling unfazed, Marcus continues to tailor his services to each client’s needs, regardless of his profit margin.
He treasures the mutual trust between him and his clients, especially when they find him credible in his work.
“Not to brag, but many of my clients like that I am trustworthy and reliable,” he said proudly.
A yoga-themed client appreciation event hosted by Marcus
Photo by: Marcus Tan
Double hatting comes with its perks and its challenges. As a financial advisor, Marcus has pockets of time to earn more money as a spin instructor. He admits that he enjoys the hustle and jokes about how he loves it when the money comes in.
He added, jokingly: “While I’m still young, I would like to have multiple sources of income. We do love the hustle life, don’t we?”
Marcus’ career journey has not always been a smooth-sailing one. He started out at a lesser-known spin studio, but that career was short-lived as he battled a lawsuit with the company. Without going into specifics, Marcus explained that it was over a contractual dispute with the management. Getting sued early in his career was certainly not a great start for him.
“There was no way that I was going to pay the full sum, so I fought hard. Eventually, I only paid a fifth of the amount that I was sued for,” he said animatedly.
On the bright side, Marcus trained tirelessly at Revolution for a year to build his physical endurance which complemented his teaching abilities. He built multiple connections with other riders and encouraged them to attend his class, in order to increase his rider base.
“In the early stages of my career, I spent a significant amount of time building my rider base, a milestone which never comes easy,” he said. Despite these hardships, Marcus emerged victorious and taught almost 300 classes.
“I feel so accomplished for making it this far in my career. I will continue to work hard and become a better instructor,” he said.
Marcus’ anniversary ride at Revolution SG
Source: Marcus Tan
Going back to financial advising, he added that it is also common for financial advisors to struggle with their mental health as some face the pressure of achieving their monthly target, which affects their income. Regardless, they must put up a strong front to their clients.
Ultimately, in the long run, he may not be able to continue as a spin instructor as it is a physically demanding job. Marcus enjoys mentorship roles, and would consider being a spin instructor trainer, or start his own mentorship team in Prudential.
“I may want to become a mentor in Prudential in the future to inspire other financial advisors. I can even build enough capital to start my own business. After all, the sky's the limit!”
He feels that the double hatting culture in Singapore exists as people have different passions and are still considering different paths. Young people may want to try everything to decide which is more sustainable what and brings them more job happiness.
“Practically, money is important, but you need to love your job and be passionate about it!”
Ultimately, Marcus appreciates the skills he acquired as a postgraduate in social work, but he is adamant that he will not go down that route in the future.
“As of this point, my career is fulfilling and I hope that the passion in me will continue to burn for a long time!”
