The STAR Publications
16 January 2005

SO WHAT’S YOUR INTEREST?

Unless you can sing “She bangs” very well, said education counselor Jerry Tan, planning for your education and career is important.

The speaker at the Star Education Fair 2005 was of course referring to American Idol William Hung who achieved fame and success despite his lack of talent.

For us mere mortals, he added, we will need to think hard about what we want to do in life, as it will be very expensive for our parents when we change our minds halfway.  Now that they have crossed their first hurdle, many SPM and STPM school leavers, with their parents in tow, flocked to the “Options after SPM” talk to explore the pathways available for higher education.

As it was the first talk on Sunday morning, the room was only half full when the session began at 10am but it was soon filled to the brim, with many staying back to ask more questions.|

Tan gave parents and students invaluable tips which he illustrated with amusing real-life stories. “The problem is many students simply follow their friends. They say: ‘I want to go to this university because my friend is studying there, what can you offer?’ said Tan.

Having counselled students for more than 10 years, he has had a lot of experience dealing with the entire spectrum of students.

 “You have to know your priorities and educational needs. What are your interests?”

 “What are your strengths and weaknesses? Some students have strange ideas of  what to do in life. One came up to me and said that he wanted to be a journalist. Why, I asked. He said: ‘I want to travel the world. I see many journalists travel all around following the PM, so I think that is the job for me.’ Of course when he realised that he had to write…” he shared.

The peals of laughter belied the gravity of his advice.  Citing those who dream of taking up medicine, Tan reminded them that it is a calling, and may not be suitable for everyone. “You can be a top student but may not be suitable for the profession.”

He related the story of a top student whom everyone advised to do medicine.

“She hated it but everyone, kept urging her to take it up; but she was adamant – until she went to the post office to get her UPU (public university entrance) form. She was involved in an accident and had to take a man to the hospital. She had to wait for him while he was in the emergency unit. When she got home, she put medicine for all her choices,” he recounted to the crowd.

 The simple stories Tan used held the audience captive, and he went on to talk about the study opportunities in Australia, the US, and studying medicine in Russia.

 You need to see if the course you choose can give you maximum benefits in securing your future, he advised, but budget is another important factor to consider.

  “You can’t say that you’ll start your programme first then worry about the fees later. You have to consider what your parents can afford before starting because if you run out of money halfway. It will be difficult for you to get the rest of the money needed for your fees.”

 Finally, he advised students to look at “alternative” careers.

  “Don’t be upset if you can’t get into medicine. Think of other field such as physiotherapy, or emerging areas such as bio-medicine, bio-technology and genetics. Or those that require special strengths such as the hospitality industry, drama studies, music or fashion design.”