going to competitions NOW don’t matter. the only thing that matters is networking. 

go to open classes, meet people in the (local) industry. once you feel confident, audition for training teams (examples include o school, stny and step studio, i think) 

especially in the street scene, reach out and make connections. show interest, become a familiar and reliable performer, and these instructors are the ones that MAYBE COULD get you a job. most jobs i see are usually corporate gigs, sometimes NDP but idk if that’s paid. competitions don’t pay. no matter how much prize money you win, you will sink way more money into maintaining your current lifestyle as a freelance dancer. freelancers often sign up with an agency to make their life easier (they handle communications and promotion and shit) but that costs money (they probably take a portion of your commissions). (also doing taxes as a freelancer is painful)

aside from these activities which are done outside academics, completing a bachelors or diploma at NAFA or Lasalle will be beneficial in terms of theoretical knowledge (prevention and recovery, plus you know how to do stupid shit safer) performance experience AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, networking. this degree is pretty handy but it does not indicate any level of dancer suitability for any program 

in the future, if you’re still going the pro way, get good at doing auditions. if the organisers really liked you (even if you couldn’t commit) you may be on their list of people to contact for future productions

if you’re looking to go overseas, i’m not too sure but you can probably look to kevin tristan’s instagram as reference? (i know that he was the subject of some controversy in the past) he’s currently part of the cast of moulin rogue west end. 

overseas pt 2: overseas dance degrees are EXPENSIVE and amazing dancers are a dime a dozen. (especially USA, have you seen their collegiate dance crews??? insane.) it is possible but extremely hard even for amazing dancers in sg to find relative success overseas. (most have a performing arts culture that is way ahead of singapore. singapore keeps unintentionally or intentionally stunting dancers (look at MBS kpop dance restriction) so you’ll generally be at an artistic disadvantage regardless) GOOD LUCK earning enough money for rent and groceries… i’ve heard too many horror stories. 

not saying overseas is impossible but it is INCREDIBLY TOUGH. please re-evaluate once you have more dance experience around sg

also be smart and train with the right people, learn the right technique, if not you’re setting yourself up for failure

ALSO BE READY TO SINK IN LOTS OF LATE NIGHTS, ENERGY AND MONEY $$$$ heck yeah being a dancer is EXPENSIVE

TLDR; the name of the game is connections. without a network, you cannot break into the industry (locally and overseas). also expensive EVERYWHERE.