Our guest for Boxing Day is Marcus. Today, he writes about the paper chase. We like to think that we have already gone past that stage of internal struggle, but Marcus puts things back in perspective in our neoliberal society where we and others expect our education to contribute in some way to our work.
Working with the Republic of Singapore Navy, Marcus spends much time offshore on patrol ships to protect Singapore. Whether he says things that we find inconvenient or undesirable to hear, he is a thinker who is brutally honest with himself and what he sees and knows about people and society around.
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Marcus Seng
I always used to wonder what will my fellow psychology mates work as when we graduate. We all knew that a Bachelors (BA) alone will not get us anywhere decent should we wish to pursue a career in psychology. I was less bothered for myself because I was already sponsored by the Navy, and certainly had a job with them once I graduated. Moreover, I always love to observe social behaviour and dynamics. Studying psychology was also something I had always wanted to do since I was 16. BA in psychology was certainly the way to go for me.
Throughout my 3 years of university, I frequently asked around my peers on what they plan to do in future. Most of them weren't quite very sure, though. Added on to the constant reminders that our BA degree is a 'toilet paper' degree. Many seemed too content with just being a student and not knowing what to do after they graduate (and possibly not knowing why are they even studying). I was concerned as a friend, angry at times. There were just too many people embarking on this mindless paper chase. Having worked in the Navy for a cumulative of 12 months before and throughout my studies during the semester breaks, I have had the privilege of working closely with many polytechnic and ITE graduates, who were definitely a lot more purposeful, motivated, and streetsmart compared to this bunch of 'top 20% of Singapore's cohort'.
3 years came and passed, too quickly. (I HAD SO MUCH FUN!=DD) I wasn't too surprised that 4 weeks before our final examinations, more than half my peers hadn't figured out what they wanted to work as (or to even deliberate further studies, or take a gap year to travel). They were simply clueless, and in denial. They often gave they most politically correct answer, 'Yea I'm looking around for jobs already.', or 'I'll think about it after the exams.' At some point, I decided that they simply entered university for its own sake - because it's a 'conventional flow', a rights of passage, 'study first then see how' mentality. I'm not wholly discrediting their own various reasons for wanting a university degree. There is however already an unfortunate case for a lot of Singaporeans who do not manage to enter university, but still continue to desire to study for the most irrational of reasons - for some ill-understanding/ misperception of 'attaining' a BA.
20 months after graduation, based on my own biased sample of population, majority of my peers who had graduated with me have somewhat figured out what to do with their lives (not so much with their degree). Giving my own rather loose estimate; 20% pursued a career related to psychology, 50% pursued a career which is somewhat related/ useful, 20% pursued a career totally unrelated to psychology, 50% joined the public sector, 30% joined private sector, 10% furthered their studies, 5% went traveling (and subsequently found a job), 5% remained clueless and continued to waste their lives/ degree, and 80% of them complained about their jobs/ public transport every other day.
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I'm both happy and sad for them. Admittedly, the transition from a student to working life is not easy. Naturally some will take a longer time to adjust to this change. I myself do struggle with my own day to day activities. Striking a good balance with work and life is a challenge that I deal with every single day. It takes a tremendous amount of energy, but I must say that it is really really worth the effort.
To my fellow psychology mates. Thank you for many times we shared in tutorials, lectures, computer labs, libraries, buses, and canteens. Thank you for tolerating for flashy and weird behaviours (it was really all part of my big social experiment and love for life). Especially to those whom I had spent much wonderful time in my 3 years of undergraduate studies - thank you for your friendships. I will always cherish them. I wish and hope for the best in your future endeavors. Pray that whatever we be in future, psychology or not, we will always remember to be happy. BAh!(=
Happy Christmas lovelies,
marcusseng.
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"life and society" will feature various people from different walks of life and various parts of the world. New posts are up every Monday and Thursday at 6pm (GMT +8 / Singapore time) through the first week of 2012. On Thursday (Dec 29), I'll be featuring Joyce Koor, my spunky, adventurous friend of 7 years who is an amazing multi-tasker and who also has a big heart and speaks out for what is right.
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