An opinion to the Gen-Y and Gen-Z population of Singapore.
I am an ordinary person. I was born in 1989, and I am currently undergoing tertiary education. I hereby express my opinions to anyone who came across this post, and to whoever see this, well, that was just a few cents worth of my opinions on the world today.
I remembered when I was small my mother always tell me to study hard, so that I can enter college and then university. I heeded my mother's advice without doubt, and I studied very hard through primary school, secondary school, and junior college. Little did I realise that what I had studied, books I had buried myself in for months and years, notes I had written until my wrist once injured over, were for a cause that I had never imagined to be in life; The question "Why do you study?" was thrown at me and all these thoughts jerked me into thinking.
So why do we study? For interest? For prospect? Most probably the latter, to majority of us. The cliche reason of studying to get to a good school, a good college, a good course in the top university and come out with a good cert to apply for a good job/career. All along that was the way since decades ago because our parents had seen such testimonials, people drawing a good pay just using a uni degree.
However, as time passes, as generation changes, more people see this as the way in life. Thus, parents are motivated to make their kids go into the route that they failed to because they missed the chance to do so. And more and more people over the years went in, came out with degree certificates. Well, with more supply of degree candidates, more people vie for jobs requiring that level of education, and employers grabbed the opportunity to slash starting pays of graduates, because of increased competition; Whoever can command a lower starting pay shall get the job.
As degree holders became more common, the upcoming generation shall climb even higher: Degree with Honours. And in just a couple of years' time, the next wave of graduates are out with Degree with Honours. The scenario for degree holders a couple of years back now applied to the current wave of graduates - those with Degree with Honours. This is the current situation today.
Today, 52% of the new people entering the workforce are graduates. To those who are planning for the route to uni, may I ask you a question. Where do you stand now? In the ocean of future graduates few years later, are you confident that you are the one that stands out amidst the others and secure a better future?
To these people I shall have a reason for them to go to uni: to "enjoy" the Rat Race. A race that one will never escape from. Why? Because, once inside, always inside. Until you find another person to take over you. Well, that's the result of being in the norm. For following the crowd.