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In this series, AsiaOne speaks to individuals who find themselves changing careers and steering their lives in a new direction, whether by choice or circumstance. Jon Yongfook Cockle did what many wouldn't at the peak of their career in 2018. Then 38, he quit his cushy job in Singapore as Aviva's Head of Digital Product & Design to bootstrap his own startup. He also set himself a formidable challenge: to launch one product every month for a year. By his own admission, his corporate career looked great on paper. He was drawing a good salary of about $15,000 a month and was also leading a great team. But something gnawed at him. The experienced software developer shared with AsiaOne that it was clear to him that he had "reached the peak of [his] career". "Any higher in rank and I would be looking at a much more political-style role where your job is more about influence and relationships rather than hands-on building stuff. "I'm really good at the latter, and terrible ... » Learn More about Man quits $15k Singapore job to build own startup, matches previous salary after 3-year grind

SINGAPORE: Pre-pandemic, 45-year-old Marilyn Ng would fly from Singapore to Bangkok every weekend to see her three children, who live in the Thai capital. When she strapped in for a flight to the country last December, she had not seen her kids in 10 months. The trip was the culmination of months of research and administrative processes. “You’re required to pay for the air tickets in advance, regardless of knowing whether you can fly. “Then you have to book a quarantine hotel … pay all of it upfront … then you put in an application with all your reasons to fly,” said Ms Ng, who works for an IT software company. She also had to submit documents to the Thai embassy to prove her family lives in Thailand. After navigating processes that changed “on a monthly or weekly basis”, she finally received special permission to enter Bangkok, which was in a COVID-19 lockdown. She was allowed up to 90 days in the country, which she fully utilised. READ: IATA travel pass app for ... » Learn More about Singapore residents travelling during COVID-19 – the risks and payoffs of reuniting with loved ones