Tuesday 5 June 2007

Is your ticket reflective?

It was the day when our results were going to be released. Despite my lack of effort during the entire course, I was still hoping for the best, hoping that I will strike a 1st class honours. But it didn’t happen, I got myself a 2nd upper, good enough actually, for my standard.

I still remember the look on some of my friends’ face, those who got 1st class were having the “I can now conquer the world” look, those who didn’t get what they thought they were getting were having the “my world has come to an end” look, this category usually comprises of nerds or kiasu-being who were aiming for 1st class honours but only managed 2nd upper or 2nd lower. No, I was NOT one of them. They will probably never understand why those who got a 3rd class or even a general degree (i.e. with no honours) were carrying a “Yessss, I did it!!!” expression on their face. They were probably thinking “this bunch of idiots (referring to those who got 3rd class / general degree) just wasted their parents’ hard earned money”. To be really honest with you, I was not that far away from that school of thoughts.

Take this guy called Naz for example. He practically spent almost all his days in London smoking his life away, skipped classes as often as he smokes, played football at every opportunity (hehe, I was also part of this football thing) and others which I thought never contribute much to his studies. Fair enough, he got himself a general degree. Many thought he will probably struggle his way in life. Some probably thought his world has practically ended, struggling would be a privilege. But did his life ended that day?

News came in from Manchester where 2 of my best friends also gotten their results. One of them got a 2nd upper as expected. But for it was not so good news for the other guy, Edward, who only managed a 2nd lower. You see, 3 of us, we were amongst the top notch people from our school (trying to blow my own trumpets here… hehe). To us, and to probably most results driven students, anything besides a 1st class or 2nd upper means nothing more than a worthless piece of paper. To Ed, his life has probably just ended, he had probably just “failed” his family and wasted all his years in university. Many thought he will probably struggle to secure a job because he will need to compete with hundreds and thousands of graduates out there who obtained better grades than him. If a 2nd lower is going to have such fate, what about Naz who only got a general degree?

That was about 7 years ago, while I still keep close contact with Ed, I have totally lost touch with Naz, until December 2005. I was at the Jabatan Pendaftaran office at Putrajaya, amongst the last legion of people trying to make the great MyKad before government starts charging. Despite the imminent charge, I wouldn’t have bothered if not because I was about to leave the country for what I thought would be a substantial period of time. It was there that I bumped into Naz, he was carrying a baby, the baby is his. Naz is now married with a lovely lady, blessed with a beautiful child. He is working with a local firm which allowed him to take his whole family there on that weekday to do his MyKad. The person whom many thought would probably struggle to support himself is now married with a kid! Looks like his life didn’t end after all.

What happened to Ed? Well, to cut the long story short, Ed is also married to a lovely wife. He is sort of having his own business, staying in his own apartment, owns 2 properties and is looking at buying a shoplot. He also plans to purchase a place in Australia because his long term plan is to migrate there. The phrase “struggling to make a living” will probably not be found in his dictionary. He also has a lot of free time past office hour, a luxury to many of us. His life didn’t end on that fateful day too!

Many of us graduated from university thinking that we will rule the world. If we came through the gate of a prestigious overseas uni, we think we are a class above the rest. Many my uni-mates wanted to become CEOs of big firms. Some wanted to be at the top of the corporate ladder within the shortest time, be up there making the so called “big decisions”. Thousands of graduates get out from uni thinking probably the same thing. But the reality is this, the position of CEOs and Managing Directors all most, if not all the firms in the country have already been taken. Some probably are at the age of 35 which means it till be another 20 years before they retire. That position will probably be taken by someone, and that someone may not be you.

On the bright side, for those who did not do too well in their studies, their world has not come to an end. Getting a not so good degree and graduating from a local institution does not mean they will lose out to a lot of people. The future is always uncertain, which makes it exciting. 5 years down the road, these people may have achieved what they want in their life. Those CEOs wannabe will probably still be climbing the ladder.

I am pretty sure many of us have heard the phrase “A degree is just a ticket to the working world”. We all know it and agree to it. However, how much do we understand that phrase? We probably fail to comprehend the true meaning of “a ticket”, or probably fail to grasp the true meaning of “the working world”.

The truth is, a 3rd class or general tickets doesn’t mean you will be not able to board the “plane of life”, while 1st class tickets doesn’t guarantee 1st class seats. You might miss out on your preferred “airlines” but never fret, how high your plane of life can fly and whether it will reach your destination, is often entirely up to you.

So, is your “seat” right now reflective of the ticket you’re carrying?

P/S: Another call here to those who have not voted in the poll at the sidebar... vote la...

69 comments:

rainbow angeles said...

My answer, Yes. Did you ask this question before? Hmmm... kind of like a dejavu to me... maybe I dreamt this entry before? Eeeks!

And... vote liao lahhh :p

TH said...

I have to say you're a very thoughtful person. It's a compliment :)

In a few more days, my ticket would arrive and I'm not fretting over what class. Economy is fine, just let me fly!

narrowband said...

I only have an economy-class ticket. It's a new ticket which arrived this year.

Like TH, I just hope I can fly. Once in the air, only think about the seat.

TingTitLei said...

i think ill go to my college tomorrow and tell them im dropping my a levels. start own business hahaha

im petrified after reading ur post boohoo

Anonymous said...

I don't know what to say but i agree with you from your last paragraph. It's just like life is not always like what you've planned or wanted. It's unpredictable.

Bee Ean said...

I know some guys who didn't excel academically, but they joined all kind of activities and have very strong interpersonal skills, time spent doing other stuffs than stuck in the classrooms and memorizing notes. There's no point getting first class but everybody beside you hate you.

Ehon said...

“A degree is just a ticket to the working world”

tiuu.. hear from you lar where else?! hahahahahahahaha. this is so blardy true man. talking about hons and masters, terrible lar. haven't even make my decision what to do. worse is, too many options, not only 2. sighs.

u boleh tahan har. sleep middle of the night still can wake up go work. tsk tsk.

Observer said...

Well, totally depends on individual... inconclusive as a generalisation

Weig said...

Whatever class tickets you have, you still get to travel. Its only how much those tickets cost that's the difference.

And most of the time, once you're on the plane, you can't wait to get off it and walk the rest of the way just so you get the luxury of stopping and smelling the roses.

**************Jz***************** said...

i lost my ticket......

Elizebeth D.L. said...

eh, what is A.Z.A.I.G.??? Am I really that outdated? :|

ah nel said...

nabeh..si loh si loh!!!

i only finish secondary skool n tat mean my whole life bancuh kopi onli...

Anonymous said...

Great post as always Zewt! As for me, I think I currently have a ticket but my plane seems to have no destination :P

eastcoastlife said...

I dun have a ticket but I still can survive and rise above this 'degree is king' era. It all comes to your own mindset, how you want your life to end up. And you can depend on no one but yourself.

Huei said...

i hate my seat..with 2nd lower (surprised, because i thought i'll fail!! kakakak)

i will prefer to have my own petshop and earning a decent living than making billions and billions and not do what i love!

hikazew® said...

i had only a general degree, not that i put enough effort :P
So while all my friends went to BIG COMPANY - INTEL, MOTOROLA, AGILENT ; i went to a small company but also a US based company.. while they worked till 10pm at night or sometimes later.. i go home at 5.30pm and has time to play online games..

IF i had my way i would be a professional gamer. It earns bigger bucks that those hot shots in BIG CORPORATION think they earn

Azlan Zed said...

a ticket is just not enough, sometimes it's the ticket holder themselves... :)

me vote oledi mah... i'm a junkie... hehe...

Anonymous said...

wei...i have general degree leh.

but i can tell you this much, street smarts + (any class) degree = lethal weapon

1st class (or any upper class) - street smarts = duh....

Street smarts alone = may be lethal weapon..becoz like u said, it's the mindset of the person, not the paper.

"Joe" who is constantly craving said...

yeah it seems you did an entry b4 albeit different directions..well i guess its too early to tell whether my ticket ends up as a 1st class or economy..in australia you dont even get classes! everyone is the same.. this kinda things..i will prob blog in the years to come..not now..too shallow..

5xmom.com said...

I only SPM can comment ah? Hehehe.

Purple~MushRooM said...

Is that what most grads think? That they are ready and will rule the world after grad?

Hmm.. not me. I remembered me and my frens feeling sad. We celebaretd the last day of freedom... the days of enjoyment are gone and the reality begins, and we all know that reality bites.

For me, I think I am truly blessed. I always believe that we will reap the fruits of benefits in proportion to the effort that we've put in. It is thus, so far so good for me. My seat is right. I could have said 'it could have been better' or 'it could have been worse'. But then, I am only living on the fruits in proportion to my effort so far. Nothing to complain, nothing to brag abt. :)

Anonymous said...

Serious comment this time. *grin*

I received my ticket just this year; I'm in the same flight class as you. Like you too, I was hoping for a 1st class, but my results were dragged down by my classmates (group work accounted for over 40 credits, more than dissertation).

I'm still not sure if this seat is where I want to be and if the ticket fits. But right now, it doesn't feel quite right. Heh.

Anonymous said...

ermm .. i only got 3rd class. i think so. never bother checking .. ha ha ha. well, like u said our life is in our hands, how far we fly is up to us. nice one dude.

I was actually trying to figure out what is AZAIG .. I voted, without knowing what is that, then i realized, it's "as zewt as it gets" .. darn

CRIZ LAI said...

I agreed with what most of you mentioned here. It's just a ticket to start your life in the working world. What's the outcome lies within your own hands and sheer luck too.

Sometimes I just sit down and wondered how certain people with 5 "F"ishes can excel better than those with 1st class tickets. They are even more successful than many of the 1st class ticket holders. And they are earning 4-5 figures income monthly.

In fact I know a few 1st class people who did not use their tickets in their own fields. They earn more in "E" class businesses. I guessed, it's the timing, sheer luck and hard work. In short, how successful we are depends on how we use our tickets intelligently. :)

sc said...

it's funny how things turn out after we started working aint it? i recalled having lots of resistance frm my relatives when they found out that i'm not enrolling into a famed uni and decided to go for a mediocre one. years later, i'm doing much better than my frens (of my age). having a (first class) degree from famed uni does not guarantee first class future...

Terra Shield said...

Seeing those around me, I think it all boils down to your self confidence... Speak eloquently, and you move up faster :D

a n n n a said...

it's just the same as the ticket to board on the plane. You have the choice to board on business class or economy class. It all depends on the holder. work hard, earn good, travel in a luxurious way. savvy~ [Jack Sparrow <3]

Anonymous said...

and b4 u got to uni i bet u thought not having straight A's in pmr/spm wud spell apocalypse too.

ur friend Ed is doing MLM ah? :p

Doreen said...

Getting 1st class doesn't reflect a 1st class future. It's just a pass to the outside world. Personalities and "can do" attitude matter most.

Rabbit said...

I have got no tickets yet, and the lecturers kept asking us to work hard to get first class degree. -__- Jiak sai lah! They want face only.

"oh this one my student, she's a first class degree"

Sien -____-

zewt said...

angel - yeah, i asked before. a clear sign i am gettin old... forgetting about the things i've asked... hehe...

twisted heels - hahaha... what if they put u in the baggage compartment? thanks for your compliment.

narrowband - that sounds like a hijack... otherwise... get to know a nice lady... exchange with her.. know what i mean?

TTL - hahahaha... so scared meh. not like you... you should rise to the challenge!

Seok Thong - unpredictable is good... makes life more exciting. of cos, we wanna remain within some path...

Bee Ean Tee - yeah, in life, education is for living. what kinda living you will make out of your life is a different story. did i make sense there?

ehon - hahahaha... must be me since i am slavery guru here haha... yeah, lack of sleep... think i need to stop blogging soon.

zewt said...

freethinker - that's exactly what i am trying to say... right? :)

cirnelle - might as well get a bus ticket then... or just backpack on foot...

jaezrel - i wont tell your boss...

elizebeth DL - As Zewt As It Gets... :)

Pinkelle - hello there! thanks for your compliment. no destination... dont worry, i am sure all on board will feel the same way... at least you're not alone. thanks for visitin... hope to see ya around.

eastcoastlife - degree is no longer king... soon, everyone will have a masters, that seems to be the way now. but then again, it doesnt matter, it's all just a piece of paper.

Huei - wahhh... u sure or not? billions woh... not millions but billions woh. but you're very brave to have said that.

Anonymous said...

The examples used for comparison is not accurate. A bronze ticket holder born with a silver spoon and family/ financial backing will most probably do much better than a Gold ticket holder who replies only on himself.
No doubt i have seen many bronze ticket holders who doing much better than a gold ticket holder. At the end of the day, EQ is more impt than IQ.

zewt said...

hikazew - i couldnt agree more. you go home at 5.30 and those who go home at 10 think they are earning much but when you look at the hourly pay... they can be paid much less than you! now... i wanna be a professional starcraft 2 gamer! haha!

alan zed - thanks for being a junkie... hope i can continue to serve your addition.

mott - precisely, i do agree with that. if you read my entry on lifestyle of the smart and not so smart... then u will know... heh heh...

constant craver joe - another 10 years... we may be too cynical to even blog about it. plus... i dont foresee myself blogging for that long...

5xmom - can... cos datuk k says he needs you mah... hah hah... so SPM also power!

purple mushroom - yeah, most of us thought tat way, of cos... we failed to know it was the end of our freedom. i think your seat is definitely good. a nice husband and taking jobs only when you need it. that's close to a perfect life... for now.

rinnah - ohhh... dont blame your coursemates ok... it's ok :) as for the seat... i think 99% of all travellers think their seat is not as nice as they thought would be. and certainly... a lot just want to put ona chute and jump!

cibol - hmmm... then did you vote correctly?

J.T. said...

I agree with Bee Ean Tee and Doreen. No point being the smartest one but interpersonal skills are lacking.
As much as a degree opens doors to opportunities, it does not guarantee anything. One has to work to get there.
Some ex colleagues wondered why I never went for a degree. That time my brains did not want to cooperate with me. :)
I managed to at least pass my "A" Levels and did a Legal Secretarial Course. That opened doors too. I did not stay a secretary all my life (as with most of my secretary friends). Most of us ended up office and/or HR managers. So my certificate (which was looked down upon by some "I-have-a-degree-you-don't-haha" consultant in my office) was also a ticket to fly somewhere. At the end of the day, they had to refer to me for their pay cheques, annual leave, etc. hehe
No, not vengeance but just a point to show that no matter what kind of qualification one has, it is up to the individual to upgrade himself/herself. I may not be in First Class but Economy Class is just as good. I am still flying somewhere. :)

zewt said...

CRIZ LAI - i think one should get a ticket to the cockpit, then you will be in total control of your destination, your speed and when you wanna land. understand what i mean?

sc - i was in a mediocre uni too... and i am now quite well off compared to some ppl who went to more prestigious uni. there are a few still studying... cos that's the only thing they know how to do... study and study summore.

terra shield - i dont deny that... the ability to speak does bring you places. even if you're just a tin kosong.

a n n n a - then again... onceyou bought an economy class and sat down on an economy seat... very likely you wont be able to change seat until you change plane. right?

sooi2 - hey... finally decided to comment? yeah... not getting straight As is total apocalypse as well. that's so true. he... no la... he doesnt do MLM... he became a salesman.

Doreen - i think it all about luck too!

rabbit - then you leh? what did your lecture say about you? :P
hahaha....

comment - that's very very very good analogy... born with a silver spoon. yeah, that's the part of life where we cant control. EQ is certainly important. thanks for visitin..

JT - brains didnt wanna co-operate with you... hmmm.. that sounds dangerous :P like i said... it's best when you have a ticket to the cockpit... then you can decide how you wanna fly the plane. ok... that sounded a bit dodgy too.

J.T. said...

Hey Zewt
Truth be told, I did not like exams. Brains sometimes shut down because exams make me nervous. I did not mind the process of studying, though. Always enjoyed classes ... except Constitutional Law and Economics... yawn! hahaha
If only I could show a piece of paper to prove my lessons of life. :)
"... ticket to the cockpit.." sounds dodgy alright... don't get me started here. hahaha
Seriously, it is the best when you can fly the plane. You are in control of your life and where you want to take it.

Lobak said...

Lets see where this ticket shall lead me..heh..

JamyTan said...

Degree is important ? Really ? Might be in Malaysia lah.

In US, degree is not important lah. Creativity and entreprizing skill is more important.

It is better to be able to be able to get frenchie 'kolo mee' brand than slaving for people lah.

One of my clients here owned 500 mortgages (he is a private mortgage owner for people whose credit limit is bad) and he dropped out of high school. He got his 1st $ by buying fix upper duplex and from there make his bucks and bought more fix upper and went on to private mortgage.

Want make $ no need so many papers lah.


My 2cents for whatever it worths.

Anonymous said...

zewt, to tell you the truth, i'm not a very .. "rajin" student. my grades are mediocre and lol, i'll be lucky if grad with a lower second class degree. Let's just hope you're right though :p

Daily Nibbler said...

"The race is not for the swift but for those who keep running".

A degree be it 1st class, 2nd class, no class degree, Masters or PhD is important door openers. Other than that you still need the will to succeed, being world wise, stamina and loads and loads of luck (or faith)!

I have seen many without degrees succeeding but if you have the opportunity to pursue a degree by all means go for it.

2 cents worth...hee

Acrelaine said...

nice post.. now from what u've described and from what my senior told me (he sed that no one will bother what grade u got once u start working)..i'm now relieved a little bit.. but i really dont know what my mom thinks..when i told her bout it, she kept quiet.. that's such a killer..

day-dreamer said...

This is a very well-written post. Kudos for that.

I agree that a First Class is not everything and a Third Class (and lower) is not nothing.

That's why sometimes I ponder on what will happen to me when I graduate. Hmm...

Anonymous said...

Answer to your question...
No?
Heh.

zewt said...

JT - right, i shall not get your started... yeah, i once wanna become a pilot... but i failed the test... too bad, guess life has its own plan with me.

Blueapple - hopefully to a place you've always wanna go.

kayatan - yeah, i know... all success stories seem to be with ppl without a proper education background right? it's also the same here. today during lunch, i was told about the tycoon in malaysia who used to be a hardware shop assistant. well... i guess we just have to fly the plane ourselves and not buy a ticket for a seat.

The Boinq - you're doing ACCA...all you need to do is pass... 1st class and 2nd class not applicable ler...

Daily Nibbler - the thing is... i dont even wanna be in the race anymore... just so sick of it.

Acrelaine - hahaha... so your seniors also confirm grades do not matter eh? your mom... i am sure she prefers good grades. parents are like that la...

day-dreamer - well... just dont concentrate too much on your ticket... but your seat, the plane, the destination and the airline... ;)

mar - then, dont you think it's time to jump plane? hah!

Theodwyn said...

An inspiring post Zewt... very good timing too.. 8 days till my results are out... i think i'll go read your post again and squeeze every drop of motivation and consolation i can out of it.

Anonymous said...

Doin' oxford brookes uni's degree also..... lol

Daily Nibbler said...

Then don't be. Think of an exit plan. Do your own business or take a break if you could afford it. Some think of migrating. To each his or her own. Whatever you are doing that is against your will only eat you away over time. That is when your performance in the office will also be affected.

Doing things your way and at your own time is still "running". Its the goals and paths that are different.

ps - Doing things your way is never easy initially unless your family is rich and or with resources. I know - I have been there, seen that.

Jorji said...

i never care about the tickets.

its not how you fall..its how you land.

Ask Bill Gates. :)

Jorji said...

and i dun vote! i dun believe in voting people....

hahaha..Are u from SPR? u shud werk ther...kidding!

JamyTan said...

Zewt,

I have to say a lot of formal education institution kill creativity.

I tell you why I said that. A lot of people go to uni does not know what they want, they end up getting a degree that they don't like, eventually they end up working on something they don't like all their lives.

Home school was the only way of education up till the last 50yrs in America. The government wanted to control over production (in fact, they want only a few people to control the mass), so they institute the public school system, formalized exams. The government put into law that everyone is to send their children to public school at a certain age then letting moms home school their children.

Public school systems becomes like a robotic system. It kills creativity.

All of us are born with a certain strength and weaknesses, not all of us like physics , chemistry or poetry. How would a teacher knew the strength of an individual child with over 40 students ?

But, thankfully in America, the last 20yrs have seen home schooling taking off leaps and bounds. Parents started to see the importance of home schooling and its place.

It is amazing how home school instill so much creativity in a person. Children learn to find resources at a very young age. Mother discovers the strength and weakness of each individual child at a very young age and nuture them at a very young age.

Last yr, I was amazingly surprised to find an eye doctor from Malaysia who comes all the way with his family to our home schooling and entrepreneur boot camp . He see so much difference between education and degree. His wife home schooled their 2 children. In the beginning, I thought might be it is the Christians in Malaysia who home school but he said no, a lot of Muslim Malays home school their children. He said a lot of these Malays parents are very well educated.

In the US, you don't have to go to school to get yr degree. There is such thing as CLEP exams (it is a nation public exams on all different kind of subjects). U do yr own studies and yr credit can be transfer to all universities in the states. You can take 1 1/2 yr to finish a 4yr bachelor degree. Again, I am surprised that Malaysia has CLEP exam center .

Many home schoolers aim to be entrepreneur because they have learned it since they are young.

I home school my son. I observe what he is good at and let him develop in the areas he excels.I really like this kind of learning process. Learning become fun and become an interest to him. He does not see learning as dull, he thinks it is funs to learn alphabets, letters etc...I believe this process will build in him a love for learning no matter what age he is in.

At 3yrs old, he can write/spell at least 500 worlds, he can recite alphabet in reverse order. He did it with great interest. He can put together a small airplane where I put 10 parts apart.

I come to a conclusion that learning has to be fun and you got to be passionate with what you want to learn and eventually passionate abt the kind of work you want to do and you will definite excel in it.

I think I have share with u a young man who is very passionate about having his own oil company one day. He did at a tender age of 24 plus a water company. His passion start very young , at the tender age of 7. His parents nuture his interests and passions.

Rabbit said...

me ah, my lecturer say i no hope already. No fail also orh mei tor fat jor. =P

Anonymous said...

yes la, usually i malu want to komen coz i c u oredi so sibuk with berlambak-lambak fansee,lol

zewt said...

Theodwyn - i am glad it's motivating to you. but then again, i am sure u did well.

The boinq - hmmm... i am also very confident you will do well... no problem for u la.

daily nibbler - what business have you done? yeah, i know... that's the fear i have too. by the way... time to start your own blog... no need much capital.

jorji - SPR? is that the election commission ah? hahahaha... no wayy!!!

kayatan - next time the lecturer says that... shoot him with carrot.

sooi - where got... no fansee la... i am just a humble blogger...

zewt said...

kayatan - hi jamy, your comment deserves a personalised reply.

firstly, you're right... i think 90% of ppl entering uni dont really know what they want... they are all blur and probably just join whichever bandwagon available to them. i was one of them...

i am quite amazed at this home schooling system. one thing though... how are the children going to get some sort of qualification? i mean, does all the uni and college recognise such education? in relation to CLEP, i am surprise you are telling me there's such thing in malaysia! that's how bad it it.

another thing about children these days is that they are way more intelligent than us... it's human evolution anyway, so i am not surprise we find more kid wonder nowadays.

as for your friend who succeed at 24... well, it does not happen everyday, but he is certainly a very motivating figure.

JamyTan said...

Hi Zewt,

Thank you for your personalised reply and yr interest in home schooling system.

1st I have to say I don't believe in evolution because I believe in creation. I don't believe man evolved from monkey but from an eternal God that create each of us in an unique way.

I think the reason why the children now are much more smarter than 1 generation ago is because of exposure to various education medias that was not there say 1 generation ago.They have more resources to get them to where they want to be earlier.

Take for eg. my son, he was exposed at a very young age of the mass media. When he was 8mths old, I started letting him watched baby Eisten education video/CD. He has a hand held baby talking toy that read to him 3 alphabets words. And so on and so on.

I don't think he is smarter than my brother in term of intellect but he has more education resources and expose to him at an earlier age than my brother.

Inevitably, he is going to develop faster than my brother because of all the resources and tools he has in his education process. My brother got his architecture Science degree at age 25. My son prob. can obtain his at 21 if he choose such field.( few yrs earlier).

CLEP is another topics I like to discuss later. In fact, I have the intention to bring it to Malaysia. It is very expensive nowsaday to send the children oversea. I am sure many parents in Malaysia do not know there is a cheaper alternatives to get a legalized / recognized 1st class degree (or paper). I will start a blog on that when I get around doing it. It is one the passion I wanted to embark on one of these days.

I knew a lot of people like this :"as for your friend who succeed at 24... well, it does not happen everyday, but he is certainly a very motivating figure."

I knew a lot of home schooling families who can tell you this.

I can easily tell you there are 12 of them who has gotten their million at 24. Most of these young people are entrepreneurs.

That young man I tell you did not get his success over nite. His mom and dad has a lot to do with his success. His dad does not want his children to be accountant, lawyer, doctor just because these profession pay well. But he wanted to train up all his children to have a love for learning and develop something they have passion.

1 of the boys really love business. When he finished all his high school studies he need to do from his home school process. His dad asked him what he wanted to do. He told his dad he wanted to go learn trading commodities. His dad find a internship job for him in a commodity trading company. After a few yrs stint, he started some biz with his dad. Finally at around 24, he knew he is really to get his own oil company, he raised quite a lump sum of $ from angel investors and banks. Within 18mths, his oil field started drilling.

The other brother was very interested in study the words of God. When he was off age, he asked his dad to introduce him to work for a pastor. Then this guy started a seminary college.

Now, the youngest child is a girl. She is extremely interested in multi media. His dad brought her a very expensive multi media tools. She develop multi media and she has started her own company at the tender age of 18 and is doing very well in that niche of market.

I can go on and on.

But, I don't think these young people will ever get where they are now without their parents support and their parents understanding of the difference between education and degree.

how are the children going to get some sort of qualification? i mean, does all the uni and college recognise such education?

There are public exams these children can have. Public schools even open their science lab for home schoolers so are their sport fields (football, basketballs). There are heaps of non profit home school clubs, leagues etc...

Yes, it is a whole new thing for me since I start living here. It is like Ali Baba and the 40 thieves. But, I tell you it is an amazing education process/system.

Anonymous said...

Degree? It is a trap!! It is a product created by capitalism to feed in itself. Get out of capitalism and u dont need a degree. I have a degree, and I do agree it has a role of a ticket and nothing more. The worst is we have to spend so much money to get one. It's so silly. Ppl think it is a requirement. No need to elaborate further. U all know what i mean. -Raymond Y-

Anonymous said...

We all need to do something to get out of this rat race. Zewt, maybe u can create a new post on rat race and
how do we escape from it. The comments would enlighthen us i believe. Need to have some more thought provoking / radical post laa......if not SIENZZzZZ
-Raymond Y-

Monsterball said...

A very good result on your degree certainly helps your chances with your first job, perhaps starting pay as well. After that, as they say, life is what you make of it.
A positive attitude, ability to work in a team, good EQ, Effort (yes!), Luck (!) all have important impact on your material progress. I've found over the years that whether a person has a 1st Class Hons. or General degree has little correlation with such "soft" capabilities.

zewt said...

kayatan - those are very useful information. but i dont think it will work in malaysia... not yet by the way. simply becos most parents wanna be 'corporate' or competitiv and too money driven. while those who stay at home... are not that qualified to teach.

Raymond Y - hello, welcome to my humble space. i have been havin a lot of post on this rat race ala modern slavery... plenty to ready already :P... and some are already finding it boring.

kittykat46 - hi and welcome! been seeing u in other blogs. yeah... it has nothing to do with the ticket... it's all about how you can fly that plane... :)... see ya around!

JamyTan said...

Zewt,

You will be surprised the number of home schooling parents in Malaysia, if I tell you. But, for the moment, I will keep to myself. Singapore is going towards the trend, because of kiasu attitute.

In 20yrs time if the statistics of home schooling children grade surpass conventional education, you will see a trend in this education system.

Anonymous said...

zewt, can i ask u something ? the uni that im studying now do not have honours printed on my cert..will this affect me ?? will the employer employ me cos of this.

zewt said...

kayatan - i guess only certain malaysians will do that. will see how it goes in 20 years time. anyway, i will probably be a parent wayyyyyy before that.

anonymous @ 9.57am june 9 - first question back to you... is it a british uni or an aussie uni? aussie uni does not give honours degree unless u do an extra year. if it's british uni... then it's strange. it' always good to have the honours written there whether it affect your job application or not. it's what you worked for anyway.

Anonymous said...

its a british uni..that is why i feel weird also. i mean by rite all british uni have honours.. im kinda worried that without honours i cant manage to find a work in singapore

zewt said...

anon at 11.13am - it's strange indeed. maybe you should check what was offered originally. but wait... if it's a scottish degree, chances are it's not. also... unless u fail to get the honours la...

Anonymous said...

i checked it out d.. its a scottish degree.so if i wan to get honours, i have to take another extra year..knn..its only available in that particular uni itself.. how am i going to get there ? the fees itself its killing me..( i mean my mum ).. i feel like crying now. degree without an honours is like a mcd without the burger.. i feel like strangle myself..how am i going to get a job in singapore.. zewt, please kill me..

zewt said...

anon - dont worry too much. most if not all grads from aussie are without honours as that is how their education function and they all get their jobs too. trust me, at the end of the day... all you need is a degree... the rest is up to you. of cos, if u think u personally want an honours, guess you will have to spend another year to do it... and more money too. how come you didnt check this when you enroled yourself?

Anonymous said...

cos i assume that most of the uk uni provide honours. yeah i think u are rite, with or without honours is nothing..as long as i can present myself quite well during the interview, i can beat those who have.. thankz ya..

zewt said...

anon - no worries! all the best to you in your job hunt. do let know if you succeeded in beating those others better grads.