Daily Lesson from Life 13 August 2008

"Wed, Aug 13, 2008 The Straits Times Are you living just for your parents?

MOST Singaporeans I have met ask me the same question time and time again: "Why did you choose to study medicine?"

They expect me to say that my parents made me do it, only to react with surprise when I tell them it was my own decision.


I do not blame them. Many Singaporean parents mould their children into trophies testifying to their parenting skills and billboards for their success.

They tend to dictate their children's educational path, usually along popular, pragmatic disciplines such as science and law, leaving them with fewer opportunities to excel in areas they might have potential for, such as sports and the arts.


These parents either want to ensure stable future jobs for their children, or give themselves bragging rights among their relatives and friends.

But this approach may have far-reaching effects: Many of my former schoolmates in Singapore are marooned in university courses they have little or no interest in. Some persevere only because it was what their parents wanted them to do."

This news article is written by an Australian Chinese. It is interesting in that it observed that many Singaporean parents either want to ensure stable future jobs for their children (which is reasonable in my opinion), or give themselves bragging rights among their relatives and friends (which is horrible in my opinion)!

Lessons for me:

1. is this observation true? what empirical evidence does this Australian Chinese writer (who is a 4th year medical student in Western Australia according to the newspapers) has? what is the sample size?;

2. which line of argument is dominant? to ensure a stable job future or to have the bragging right? This is crucial as one is reasonable while the other is just terrible motive! The vision is based on the wrong ethical consideration if you like!;

3. in Singapore as in other developing countries and economically inclined countries, the adults do consider the stable job future a primary factor in deciding what programs or what study their kids should enrol into. The reason is simple, in an urbanized society, you need to have a job to have some money to pay for your living expenses. Singapore government and many other Asian governments try to 'predict' or 'pick' the future industries to focus on and invest their limited resources to prepare the workers for these industries. If they are wrong, a generation or two of graduates will be jobless or doing work that has no link to their studies. It is a stark reality.

4. Of course, the enlightened parents can let their kids pick their studies based on their natural talent and interests. When they are too young, so guidance and help is needed. When they are older, they can have their own choice. It is hard if we consider the 'future job' to be 'free to choose'.

Luckily, sports and music and other creative arts are being promoted in Singapore as the government believes there is a future for such fields of study. So, maybe the kids can fulfill their natural calling where their natural talent best fit.

5. Finally, I am a little concerned that the writer mentioned about her former schoolmates who are in the universities now STILL cannot make up their mind what they really want to do or doing courses that their parents wanted them to do. But when I think about it, it is probably true that they do not really know what is good for them given how sheltered our youngs are being brought up!

Anyway, as long as the kids' studies are not adversely affected, they can study what their parents wanted them to study based on 'stable future job' criterion until they found out what they are really good at naturally!