Recently, a blogger wrote a post declaring that Polly’s children (including his own) have no future in Singapore and that their private university degree will get them nowhere. Therefore, it is better for them to skip this useless private college education, and enter the job market early to start earning some income to build their passive investment portfolio. Then, maybe they should migrate to a cheap place and live their humble life there. Singapore has no place for them.
Since I am a Poly graduate, I thought I should write a post to console his poor child and many other soon to be college students, rejected by the university, and parents because their lives did not end in Singapore.
I graduated from one of the best JCs in Singapore. Hence, not getting the grade at the local university was quite an unpleasant experience. I’m glad my dad didn’t have the internet or social networks to talk about then :-p. The only wise choice was to go to poly, and then I realized that this was the best thing that had ever happened to me.
#1 Find your passion
The beauty of going to poly is that you can choose courses that you really enjoy. According to a study by talent firm On Hewitt, Singaporean employees are the least engaged in Asia. Why this happens, maybe it has to do with our education system. Everyone is just studying to achieve a certain degree which will hopefully qualify them for a place at the local university. Therefore, when our graduates enter the workforce, we only work for a salary and hope to eventually reach the top of the ladder. This may not be what we really liked or enjoyed, hence less engagement.
I noticed that whenever I had meetings with my colleagues at JC, I was the only one who spoke enthusiastically about the work I was doing and my dreams. They looked very miserable and unmotivated about their work.
#2 The world is your stage
After poly, going to college is still a wise choice. You can either choose to attend a local university (2 years I think) or an overseas university (1-1.5 years). Polina has affiliate branches of many foreign universities (usually UK and Australia) where you get exemptions to complete your studies, for example, it took me approximately 1-1.5 years to finish my studies. Your degree is the same as that of any normal graduate from those foreign universities and these universities can be well known and respected within their country or even around the world. In fact, I remember during one of my early interviews with a multinational company, the hirer commented that I came from a good university and he was from the other side of the continent.
The experience of living and studying abroad will change and transform you. Your world becomes bigger and your ambitions are not limited to Singapore only. This was the difference I saw between me and my colleagues at JC. I was constantly trying to spread myself around the world. Their world is always Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. I think this may have changed recently as graduates of our local universities now have exchange programmes.
#3 Your career has nothing to do with this paper after step two.
The only time people looked at where I graduated from was during the first interview. After that, no one cares unless you wrote a really bad resume or graduated from Harvard or Stanford or were trying to get into government or research units.
The Singapore government has a system that already distinguishes between multiple graduates. I was working in a government agency for 6 months to earn university tuition fees. They have different ladders for different categories of graduates. If you are First Class Honors or above, you have a special pathway where you can have a mentor to qualify you to move up the ladder. If you are below that and graduate with a degree, you are just a worker. If you are a college graduate, you will never reach the level of a college graduate no matter how hard you try. It’s a completely different promotion ladder. Not sure if this has changed. So, Poly graduates, don’t waste your time there.
#4 The future belongs to creative people
One of the nice things about studying at poly is that it is very hands-on and practical. They have projects that really prepare you for the job market and challenge your creativity. With the upcoming Fourth Industrial Revolution, I believe that creatives and innovators will be the winners in the future workforce.
BTW, did you know that Carousel founder Kwek Siu Roy and creative founder Sim Wong Hoo graduated from Poly?
#5 I am a woman
If it’s any more consolation to you, I’m a woman. According to statistics, I am supposed to earn 18% less than a man. If you scroll through my timeline, you’ll see that my first paycheck was only $2,200. My multiple education did not prevent any local or multinational company from hiring me. In fact, I even managed to get an expatriate contract abroad.
My income has been good so far (I don’t think I earn much less than my colleagues at JC) and I think my journey so far has been very fruitful and fulfilling. If I turned back the clock, I would still choose a foreign poly+ university over a domestic one.
One more thing, please don’t miss college to earn income to build a passive investment portfolio and always listen to Crazy Rich Warren Buffet, “You should never borrow to invest in the stock market.”
I hope this post gives the soon-to-be multi-students, university rejects and parents some perspective. Your only limit is you.
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