IF YA SMELL WHAT THE HOCK IS COOKING??!!

Memories...

Sunday, December 30, 2007

ON HOW ACADEMIC RESULTS IS NOT EVERYTHING

The problem with a lot of Singaporean students is that we act n behave as if academic results are everything. As if one's A-Level Results/ CAP score etc is a measure of one's self-worth n value in life.

Yes, good results give u a greater chance of securing scholarships, getting into good schools, n getting a passport into ONLY CERTAIN job interviews. But thats it. How u move on from there is another thing.

I have seen with my own eyes, n heard from my brother & other graduated seniors' accounts, of how people have gone on to be successful in their careers despite having only mediocre academic results. (And no, some of them are not rich by nature also) And seriously, once u start work, nobody gives a damn what results u have last time, or gives a shit about yr cap score. (except for certain programmes) Most people are more concerned about whether u can fit into the company culture, whether u can prove yrself useful to the company, n whether u got the necessary EQ.

Which is why if u never get good results this sem, just try harder next sem. Its not the end of the world please. And even if those people that got high results, doesnt mean they are streetsmart or have high EQ.

On the other hand, if u got good results, dun yaya banana n act as if yr future is superbly secured. I heard from a friend about this year 1 fella who thinks he's so good oredi just based on his recent sem1 results. Please la. Wake up can. When you think you are the smartest in the world, you are actually at that point the dumbest in the world.

So what if u never get Honours/ 2nd Upper/ 1st class or scholarships? Like what Guan Guan once famously said, "there has got to be a better way". The private sector n MNCs are always looking out for people who are not just "smart" in the academic result sense.

Maybe some people will feel that I have no right to put up such a post. But why wont I have the right? I did badly in my year 1 sem 1, but I didnt act as if its the end of the world. Nor did I act as if I m so smart like some naive year 1 guy when I got good results.

The bottomline is that there are so, so many real-life examples of people who became successful despite not doing Honours or not having top results. So why scare yourself n impose your own glass ceiling on yourself?

As what Guan Guan said, there has got to be a better way.

The Incredible Hock