I've never been interested in conventional metrics of success, says former scholar who 'retired' at 32

Despite having stellar grades which landed him the Public Service Commission scholarship, Ashish Kumar decided to go into "early retirement" as soon as he could.

According to his LinkedIn profile, the 32-year-old has a law degree from the University of Cambridge and held posts in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Communications and Information during his six-year scholarship bond before quitting in February this year.

A part-time debate coach at Raffles Institution now, Kumar said he limits his expenses to just $2,500 a month while living off his savings, investment returns and the money from his part-time work, reported Tabla on Thursday (Aug 22).

Part of his income also goes towards paying his parents a sum equivalent to the rent for the room he occupies.

"I think of it as getting out of the system and taking back control," he said. "It's very possible to live cheap in Singapore, especially when you take cars and housing out of the equation."

"As far as I remember, I've never been interested in conventional metrics of success, like wealth or leadership. Fundamentally, I have always been a creative person, and I think that's what really motivates me."

Top PSLE scorer

A top PSLE scorer from Dazhong Primary School with 278 points, Kumar was also Singapore's top Indian pupil in 2004, reported Rice Media. 

He then enrolled in Raffles Institution where his interest in debate was sparked by a teacher who suggested he join the school's debate club due to his talkative nature.

Kumar later received an Overseas Merit Scholarship with his A Level Results; and reportedly graduated second in his class with a law degree from the University of Cambridge.

Responding to a netizen on Reddit who asked how he managed to convince his parents, Kumar said that they were "totally fine" with his decision to retire young.

"I presented it as a fait accompli (already decided), so [there was] not much discussion," he wrote.

"[Their] only question was 'Will you be able to support us later in life?' and after I said yes, that was the end of it!"

His father, who is Indian, works at a Christian missionary organisation and his mother, who is Chinese, is a primary school teacher. He also has a 29-year-old sister.

When asked if he has thought about marriage and having children, Kumar told Tabla that he had no plans to start a family.

"It imposes such vast costs on your emotions, time and money. So, for me, [not wishing to start a family] just frees up a lot of time and emotional bandwidth to deal with other things in life."

He also addressed online speculation that he had rich parents who supported his lifestyle or had set aside a large inheritance for him.

"I'm definitely privileged! And extremely lucky in many ways. Just not in the 'family is rich' sense," he wrote on Reddit.

"My parents are happy for me to live with them, and I'm happy living with them. But I don't have any inheritance factored into my financial plans."

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com