Some Myth Debunking...

Heh. I know that my blog isn't a very famous one, but it's still a good conduit for me to vent out my thoughts on issues that I see these days.

One of the questions that some teenagers might be thinking about is this: which scholarship should I go on for my further studies? In a somewhat tangential method to address this questions, let me try to debunk some myths that people might have about their future and the steps that they are taking now.

Myth #1: You must study very hard and get into a good school to go far.

This myth is tricky. The underlying assumption is that somehow an association with a good school's name/reputation will give you that leverage to push you further in life, particularly in the case of careers. Well, reality isn't that clear cut---the reputation of the school can only get you that far; everything else is up to your own abilities and attitude. To put it in a blunt way, the reputation of the school can get you that initial interview, but if you have absolutely nothing else to show for, you still won't get that job or dream career.

Myth #2: You will learn all that you need for your career in university/college.

This cannot be further from the truth. Strangely enough, you will learn some new things from university/college, but what you end up doing for your job/career is more related to what your interests are as opposed to what you were taught in school. Just look at how many engineering-trained students who branch out into other domains like business, finance and even the Arts---were they taught all these in school? While university/college provides you with the opportunity to mingle with similarly minded people (thus making the environment more conducive for learning), to think that the college education is all that is needed is pure foolishness.

Myth #3: A scholarship is a must because of the prestige.

Ho ho ho... if one takes up the scholarship only because of the associated prestige, one is going to be in big big trouble! A scholarship is a contract---when you take it up, you are making a promise to whoever is sponsoring the scholarship that you will meet their requirements, and if need be, repay them by working for them at the conclusion of your studies. So, if you are some nubile eighteen-year-old considering if you should take up some scholarship somewhere, you should really really really think carefully if you are wholly comfortable with the conditions stipulated in the scholarship contract. If your only reason is ``for the prestige'', then don't bother---you will not be happy at the end of the day.

Myth #4: My career will be fixed from the day I graduate from college.

For this myth... it depends on a lot of factors. If you already know what you want, this is easily disproven, but one must always be prepared for changes. The only constant thing about the world is that it is always changing, and to think that you will be in the same career for more than a decade can be a little unrealistic. So continual improvement and self-discovery of what one can and cannot do are necessary to survive in this world. Formal education can only get one that far---everything beyond that is up to one's attitude and aptitude.

Okay, I'm getting a little annoyed at this exposition, so I will stop here. Till next time.