Big, Big World...
I have recently just graduated from NUS and gotten my long-awaited degree.. it is something that I have been working hard for all my life, and now it’s mine, finally. Speaking of which, I don’t deny that kids here are indeed very fortunate; all of us are granted a chance to go to good schools and receive proper education the minute we were born. It may a norm in our society, but compared to many other kids in backward countries, it is really a privilege and luxury we enjoy.
The education system in Singapore always gives itself credit for helping to equip students with the necessary skills and expertise and developing them into outstanding, all-rounded individuals who excel in their work in future..blah blah blah. Yes, everything sounds so good, so glam..it’s perfect, isn’t it? So after 15 long years of education, we are ‘supposed’ to be all set to conquer the working world, survive good and fight like a brave warrior, yea? But the truth is, we are NOT ready (!!)
Most graduate students like me are hesitant and generally negative about entering the competitve working sector. With our stacks of certificates and years of academic experiences, why do we not seem all well-prepared for work life the way our education system assumes to be? What is it that is holding us back from moving forward and embracing the next phase of our lives with open arms? True. All the essential technical stuff is in place, no doubt about the high standards of learning opportunities our education provides us with; our brains are so good at analysing sciences and churning out answers for complicated mathematical problems. But something vital is missing. It’s like: all parts of a car are intact and in good working condition..it looks good and ready to run, but without petrol, what’s the use?
Being constantly spoon-fed in our school days, we do not have to think much for what we want for ourselves. All we had to do was to follow the mainstream path that has been laid down nicely for us. We hardly have the chance to make major decisions all by ourselves - the chance to make important decisions that concern our own future, and the chance to take up the responsibility of bearing the consequences of our own actions. How many times have our decisions in the past been influenced or manipulated in some way by other external forces, like our parents and societal expectations? Maybe countless. Having being brought up in such a ‘protected’ environment where everything has been taken care of for us, we are suddenly expected to know how to manage the tons of responsibilities and decisions that come with the transition to working life.. alll these overnight. How is that possible?
We only know how to do algebra, solve complex equations, draw IS-LM curves.. no one taught us how to cope with the realities of life..how to overcome failure and how to manage our emotions. Have our parents or the society ever asked us what we really want in our life when we were young? Hardly? Never? We were not taught to think – to think about what we want to do with our own lives; life was never just about books and studying, but we didn’t know then! The path has been laid down for us..like it or not, we have to follow it.
Ask graduates out there, what are the occupations that they know of in the job market. Answers they give most probably are accountants, engineers, doctors, lawyers, IT specialists..the normal stereotypes, what else? These are the jobs that we have been taught since young as the “ideal” jobs, and we were brainwashed to look up to these jobs as GOOD jobs right from our early years of education, and to work our way towards THESE “good” jobs. Why are these jobs good? Because society tells us so. AND they tell our parents so. But does every Singaporean kid want to become a doctor or an accountant? Of course not. What about those people who have a passion for the music and the arts? Oh sorry, society says “no future”. JTB – ‘Just Too Bad’.
Prestige is prestige, happiness is happiness.,they do not always come together. We see successful working adults doing well in their areas of expertise and enjoy the social status their jobs give them, but they are not happy. Why? Because these are not the things they enjoy doing. Some people may want to move, to do things that they like, but they may not have the means and access to do so. Time doesn’t wait and we can’t turn back the clock. Parents play a very important role when their children are young; they have the power to choose whether they want to tie their children down with societal norms & opinions, or set their children free to soar into the big blue skies and let them decide for themselves where they wanna fly to. What the society sees as “right” or “good” may not suit each and every individual; it is too cruel a thing to try and force one single template on different people, which obviously do not fit.
During my schooling days, I never had to think about “my future”. What is my future anyway..it sounds so far-fetched. Anyway everyone else knows better that after primary sch comes secondary sch, and after that it’s either poly or JC followed by university. Every kid just has to follow this safe route and there’s nothing to worry about at all. When the student finally graduates, he has to get out of the comfort zone and start worrying about what job he/she wants to look for..it’s his future that we’re talking about, no joke about it. It’s scary cuz you suddenly realise you haven’t been thinking much about it and now you’re expected to produce an answer immediately. One word: LOST.
If I could turn back time, I would want to become a dancer, a professional dancer – dancing will be my career and I think it’ll definitely be very colourful and exciting. Sometimes I think it’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to pick up dance basics when I was young so I could develop my potential from there..I believe I would have done a great job. Well, it will only remain as a dream.
There’s nothing we can do about whatever that has passed, but we can start living our lives the way we want it right now. Find your hobbies and indulge in the pleasure and joy of doing what you really enjoy doing. It’s ok if I can’t become a professional dancer, but I can still dance for leisure all I want now! Do it like no one’s controlling you and telling you what to do..you decide coz it’s your life!
The education system in Singapore always gives itself credit for helping to equip students with the necessary skills and expertise and developing them into outstanding, all-rounded individuals who excel in their work in future..blah blah blah. Yes, everything sounds so good, so glam..it’s perfect, isn’t it? So after 15 long years of education, we are ‘supposed’ to be all set to conquer the working world, survive good and fight like a brave warrior, yea? But the truth is, we are NOT ready (!!)
Most graduate students like me are hesitant and generally negative about entering the competitve working sector. With our stacks of certificates and years of academic experiences, why do we not seem all well-prepared for work life the way our education system assumes to be? What is it that is holding us back from moving forward and embracing the next phase of our lives with open arms? True. All the essential technical stuff is in place, no doubt about the high standards of learning opportunities our education provides us with; our brains are so good at analysing sciences and churning out answers for complicated mathematical problems. But something vital is missing. It’s like: all parts of a car are intact and in good working condition..it looks good and ready to run, but without petrol, what’s the use?
Being constantly spoon-fed in our school days, we do not have to think much for what we want for ourselves. All we had to do was to follow the mainstream path that has been laid down nicely for us. We hardly have the chance to make major decisions all by ourselves - the chance to make important decisions that concern our own future, and the chance to take up the responsibility of bearing the consequences of our own actions. How many times have our decisions in the past been influenced or manipulated in some way by other external forces, like our parents and societal expectations? Maybe countless. Having being brought up in such a ‘protected’ environment where everything has been taken care of for us, we are suddenly expected to know how to manage the tons of responsibilities and decisions that come with the transition to working life.. alll these overnight. How is that possible?
We only know how to do algebra, solve complex equations, draw IS-LM curves.. no one taught us how to cope with the realities of life..how to overcome failure and how to manage our emotions. Have our parents or the society ever asked us what we really want in our life when we were young? Hardly? Never? We were not taught to think – to think about what we want to do with our own lives; life was never just about books and studying, but we didn’t know then! The path has been laid down for us..like it or not, we have to follow it.
Ask graduates out there, what are the occupations that they know of in the job market. Answers they give most probably are accountants, engineers, doctors, lawyers, IT specialists..the normal stereotypes, what else? These are the jobs that we have been taught since young as the “ideal” jobs, and we were brainwashed to look up to these jobs as GOOD jobs right from our early years of education, and to work our way towards THESE “good” jobs. Why are these jobs good? Because society tells us so. AND they tell our parents so. But does every Singaporean kid want to become a doctor or an accountant? Of course not. What about those people who have a passion for the music and the arts? Oh sorry, society says “no future”. JTB – ‘Just Too Bad’.
Prestige is prestige, happiness is happiness.,they do not always come together. We see successful working adults doing well in their areas of expertise and enjoy the social status their jobs give them, but they are not happy. Why? Because these are not the things they enjoy doing. Some people may want to move, to do things that they like, but they may not have the means and access to do so. Time doesn’t wait and we can’t turn back the clock. Parents play a very important role when their children are young; they have the power to choose whether they want to tie their children down with societal norms & opinions, or set their children free to soar into the big blue skies and let them decide for themselves where they wanna fly to. What the society sees as “right” or “good” may not suit each and every individual; it is too cruel a thing to try and force one single template on different people, which obviously do not fit.
During my schooling days, I never had to think about “my future”. What is my future anyway..it sounds so far-fetched. Anyway everyone else knows better that after primary sch comes secondary sch, and after that it’s either poly or JC followed by university. Every kid just has to follow this safe route and there’s nothing to worry about at all. When the student finally graduates, he has to get out of the comfort zone and start worrying about what job he/she wants to look for..it’s his future that we’re talking about, no joke about it. It’s scary cuz you suddenly realise you haven’t been thinking much about it and now you’re expected to produce an answer immediately. One word: LOST.
If I could turn back time, I would want to become a dancer, a professional dancer – dancing will be my career and I think it’ll definitely be very colourful and exciting. Sometimes I think it’s a pity I didn’t have the chance to pick up dance basics when I was young so I could develop my potential from there..I believe I would have done a great job. Well, it will only remain as a dream.
There’s nothing we can do about whatever that has passed, but we can start living our lives the way we want it right now. Find your hobbies and indulge in the pleasure and joy of doing what you really enjoy doing. It’s ok if I can’t become a professional dancer, but I can still dance for leisure all I want now! Do it like no one’s controlling you and telling you what to do..you decide coz it’s your life!
posted by Jshan @ 19.7.05
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