Every work day, 36-year-old Mohd Aminurashid Ali Akbar pries his eyes open and climbs out of bed at 4:30am.

By 5am, he is out of the house and on his way out of Gelang Patah, Johor Bahru and into Singapore to work.

The trip across the border brings him to work at about 6am, where he says his prayers, rolls up his sleeves, and begins the grind at 8am.

Such has been a gruelling 14-year-routine, but it's all worth it, because Aminurashid now owns three properties in Malaysia, and is well on his way to an early retirement.

The grind

Aminurashid works in a shipping and marine company in Singapore.

Speaking to Berita Harian, he shared that he first started out working in a Malaysian palm oil mill before setting his sights on greener pastures in Singapore.

Coming here saw a marked jump in his salary from RM700 (S$200) to S$950.

This number received an even greater bump after he furthered his education at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

Thinking of other Malaysians, Aminurashid had some words of advice:

"Don't give up easily. While you're young, focus on saving money.

Malaysians don't have the Central Provident Fund (CPF), so it's important to be disciplined with your finances."

While Malaysians don't have CPF, their country does have an Employees Provident Fund (EPF), which manages savings and retirement planning for workers in Malaysia.

Making up for lost time

Hustling didn't come without trade-offs, as Aminurashid confessed his work has taken a toll on his family life.

He often works overtime, only clocking out at 6:45pm, meaning that he typically reaches home after nightfall.

The distance between him and his family — approximately 48km — was never felt more acutely than during the pandemic, when Aminurashid was forced to stay in Singapore.

He lamented on the lost time with his family, which include his 38-year-old wife and three daughters, one of whom has autism.

At least now, with an early retirement on the horizon and passive income from two of his properties which he rents out, he can "make up for lost time".

Top image by Nigel Chua