She became a plumber, he chose the woodworking life. What drew them to blue-collared work?
Thu Feb 05 2026
When it comes to charting their career paths, it’s likely most young Singaporeans would opt for white-collared jobs.
Hands-on skilled trades? Not so much.
Yet, The Straits Times reported in January that a growing number of younger people are choosing to go into traditional skilled trades such as plumbing and landscaping.
In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with two millennials who have chosen not to follow the conventional script and have built businesses with their own hands.
Ms Geraldine Goh, 31, is a licensed plumber, who started her own business Agraffe in 2017 after a stint as a facilities management officer at a town council. She was studying mechanical engineering at a university, but dropped out after two years.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahmad Alhabshee, 36, started his own furniture company Urban Salvation about 11 years ago. He designs and handcrafts bespoke wooden furniture using sustainably sourced materials.
He branched out on his own after he was slighted by a former employer, who judged him for not having enough academic qualifications.
What convinced both of them to take on blue-collared work and become their own bosses? What does it mean to go against expectations in a society that still measures success with grades and paper qualifications?
Highlights (click/tap above):
1:50 The misconceptions of being a female plumber
8:53 Why I dropped out of NTU to work at a town council
12:32 The harsh reality of the furniture business
20:05 30 years of experience vs. a licence
28:35 Why modern men can’t fix a $1 door hinge
Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast
Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN
Filmed by: Studio+65
Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi
Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis
Editorial producers: Elizabeth Law & Lynda Hong
Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday:
Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX
Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P
YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast
Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg
SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg
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Follow more ST podcast channels:
All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7
Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts
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Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:
The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB
Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX
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When it comes to charting their career paths, it’s likely most young Singaporeans would opt for white-collared jobs. Hands-on skilled trades? Not so much. Yet, The Straits Times reported in January that a growing number of younger people are choosing to go into traditional skilled trades such as plumbing and landscaping. In this episode of The Usual Place, I speak with two millennials who have chosen not to follow the conventional script and have built businesses with their own hands. Ms Geraldine Goh, 31, is a licensed plumber, who started her own business Agraffe in 2017 after a stint as a facilities management officer at a town council. She was studying mechanical engineering at a university, but dropped out after two years. Meanwhile, Mr Ahmad Alhabshee, 36, started his own furniture company Urban Salvation about 11 years ago. He designs and handcrafts bespoke wooden furniture using sustainably sourced materials. He branched out on his own after he was slighted by a former employer, who judged him for not having enough academic qualifications. What convinced both of them to take on blue-collared work and become their own bosses? What does it mean to go against expectations in a society that still measures success with grades and paper qualifications? Highlights (click/tap above): 1:50 The misconceptions of being a female plumber 8:53 Why I dropped out of NTU to work at a town council 12:32 The harsh reality of the furniture business 20:05 30 years of experience vs. a licence 28:35 Why modern men can’t fix a $1 door hinge Follow The Usual Place podcast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/theusualplacepodcast Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/v6DN Filmed by: Studio+65 Edited by: Teo Tong Kai, Eden Soh and Chen Junyi Executive producers: Danson Cheong, Elizabeth Khor & Ernest Luis Editorial producers: Elizabeth Law & Lynda Hong Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday: Channel: https://str.sg/5nfm Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/9ijX Spotify: https://str.sg/cd2P YouTube: https://str.sg/theusualplacepodcast Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7 Get more updates: http://str.sg/stpodcasts --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX -- #tup #tuptr See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.