I’ve been thinking a lot and I feel like ranting a bit, you know, just to write what’s in my mind right now.

Actually, not really now, I thought and wrote this stuff up during my previous final exam period. Although that has quite long passed, but I think I should publish some of my thoughts in my blog, so…

Anyway, if you happen to be reading this, you might find this post somewhat pointless, I’m sorry but please bear with me!

**********

Why is everybody so worked up about the final exams?

To get good results? To secure a good job in the future?

This (for now – last) trimester, I boldly withdrew three out of the four core subjects that I am taking, resulting in only one single subject left to be studied for the finals.

Hey, none of them were barred, none of them cancelled. I just wanted to withdraw, so I did!

LOL! Alright, I withdrew the subjects because I’m changing my major next trimester, and the subjects that I dropped are those that are not in the syllabus of the new major.

Just to clarify, I’m NOT changing my course! I’m still doing a Bachelor of Engineering, but merely taking up a different major.

Of course, there are still two other art subjects – Law and Moral – but both of which are absolutely not worrying. In fact, I have a very good record in scoring arts subjects.

My liberty from much studying during this final exam period gave me the opportunity to take a good look at the people around me, the people who study hard everyday in the library, the people who complain and moan in anguish when they find that they’ve made mistakes in their papers…

I’ve experienced this before, the tension of a tremendously difficult paper coming up in seven days, and as it comes closer, you find that you’re less ready, and in panic you come to the realization that more subjects are coming up after this week’s paper, and you just can’t be less prepared for them.

Don’t tell me that it is my problem that I didn’t prepare earlier, or I could’ve concentrated more in lectures and consulted tutors about my problems during tutorials… I know I didn’t, but how would I’ve done?

I mean, if I’m simply not interested in what I’m studying, will that alone effectively doom me from getting the certificate?

Is it so straightforward that anyone must be genuinely interested in his subject to stand a chance in graduating? And the alternative to which is daily forced-studying, swallowing things that are so utterly bitter to his academic taste buds?

And because of the extra effort in studying needed to compensate for his lack of interest in the subject, a person would have to sacrifice a significant portion, if not all, of his private and social life to study things that he knows would be of minute use in his future. In short, it’s either Genuine Interest or A Nerdy Life.

Why, I cannot see any balance, any centre point, between the two. I don’t think there’s anything such as living a life of having both hard studying and remarkable sociability.

The determination to do well in one’s studies inevitably removes most motivations to improve sociability

And the converse is also true – If you strive to improve your social life, you’ll put in effort to improve the enjoyability of your life; And I tell you what:

- preparing for final examinations long before they come,

- putting in every ounce of concentration during lectures teaching about formulas for magnetic flux densities and multiple integrations,

- and pestering tutors about the same boring stuff

… are NOT AT ALL considered ‘enjoyable’ to my mind. >.<

So we extend the theory – If you don’t like the subject that you’re studying, you’ll either be a nerd, or you’ll do terribly in it.

Is it really necessary? Is it really worth it? I mean, is the certificate really worth that much? Is it important enough to justify the untold amounts of stress on the body?

Do employers nowadays really consider your academic transcript to be the most important thing of all? Or is there other things that matter just as much? Such as experience, accountability and perhaps, language proficiency?

What about your working attitude – how sincere are you to your duties, and how important are they to you in return? Are you willing to learn?

Perhaps your interpersonal skills - how much of a team player are you, are you capable of motivating and infecting your co-workers with enthusiasm?

Or maybe your management skills - how do you manage time, perhaps lead a team of people in completing a project?

Oh I dunno, if these skills are equally sought after by employers, then ‘nerds’ and students who are fervently studying every single minute, who simply have no time for soft skills, socialising, or any knowledge beyond their major, are, perhaps, in quite a disadvantage here…

Sigh… Let’s just hope that whatever I choose to do now is not dooming mine, or someone else’s future. I’ll think about that later.

Read Other Posts:

• Life On the 12th Floor.
• Al-Qaeda’s Car & My New Domain
• Chilling Chester
• Appreciation Dinner @ Shogun
• Death

Post a Comment