The Pursue of Education.

I had just realized my 1st entry for October, was seemingly my last for that month. Now I’m wondering, where did I disappeared to? It’s like an alien abduction just took place last month and I had no recollection whatsoever. Amnesia? Brain freeze? Must be something I ate.

Well, maybe it was a disease, the virus makes the hand feel like 30 times its own weight. Toolazytomoveogitis. It affects me occasionally. Liar! Ok, all the time. But the situation IS improving. Why do I procrastinate exercising?! Whichever divine genius who can come out with a drug to make people exercise will be the undisputed Bill Gates of the medical world!! (I want just 10% of the proceeds, whoever you are, remember you got your inspiration from here!!)

Yes, nothing’s gonna be the same from next week onwards. School’s gonna start and lots of work is gonna come pouring in. For someone who is so anti the local educational system here, I’ve allowed myself to delve deeper into its well - not very persevering I would say. And it doesn’t help when you know in advance if you were to be cast back in time to ancient China, you’d probably be more of a farmer than a scholar. Doesn’t bid well, does it?

Today’s society embraces the collective opinion of the masses, which creates pressure for ourselves, and in turn the pressure becomes THE opinion, and so the cycle continues.

As timely as it sounds, educational businesses are sprouting out almost every where, universities capitalizing on the international markets, offering courses for all kinds of degrees from Universities of diverse variations. This makes good business sense, as people, us, are being put in the cycle of collective pressure and it helps that even study loans are available.

Education IS being purchased. An investment tool for the recipients, and a viable business for all those involved. Well, if the current trend continues, a PhD will be the minimum requirement for our children to have a place in society. Maybe the government should make do without the ‘A’ Levels and just have a foundation year for the ‘O’ Level grads to go strait into a degree course.

This brings us to another interesting issue. The issue of career paths. Some people are just lucky they figured what they want to do by the age of 14, some by 16, some by 18 and some not even when they are 30. If you noticed, 14 is when they have to make their 1st career move, Science, arts or commerce stream? 16 is where they choose to further the streams they take, bringing it to the ‘A’ Levels or the Polytechnics. 18 is where the ‘A’ level students choose which degree to pursue.

Specializations already starts at an age where teenagers are still discovering themselves. How would they know what their potential is for the future???

Since I’m at it, it makes no sense for secondary school students to do combined science. You are actually studying 2 subjects for 1 grade. Its absurd. And a child maybe good in physics and weak in chemistry, how can he score a good grade like this?

And what if the child wants to be a pilot for SIA in the future? How would he know, at 14, that the application for being an SIA pilot actually requires him to have taken PURE physics!!!?

I haven’t thought of a better way to improve the system, but I believe a generalized education in the secondary schools as well as the JCs and pre-Us would be more appropriate. Keeping options open when young is important, as that will provide them more time, flexibility and ability to help decide on a more appropriate tertiary education.

I could go on and on with this. But let’s just say that studying now for me isn’t just about getting the degree for the sake of it, like so many do. Its more of getting the degree for a shot at another career opportunity in something I would have had greater passion for. Of which , if without, would be near impossible to pursue. (We'll talk about entrepreneurship another time.)