I went out for lunch with a coursemate of mine today. I haven’t seen him in almost a month, as he had been regularly missing our classes. By chance, we met in the library today and decided to go out makan.
He told me he was going to quit med school, and that was the reason he was back at the faculty.
I was not stunned by his statement, as he had been saying this throughout our academic year. Still, I was very surprised at his decision to quit now when we only have less than 3 more months to go.
I asked him why not complete this degree as an insurance. After all, we had gone through almost 5 grueling years of studies. Just 3 more months to make the whole 5 years worthwhile.
He told me that he could not bear to go through this kind of life anymore, and since he will never walk down this path again, what good will the degree do anyway.
His statement made me think of another friend of mine who quit college to run his own business, and after some hits and misses, he is doing well now. He told me that he was not gaining much from college, that the qualification was just a piece of paper anyway.
My encounter with the 2 of them made me question my personal objectives in life. I was raised with the mentality that academic qualification is the most important acquisition of our lives. I grew up believing that a degree is my passport to success. Almost all my friends are graduates, and my sister even obtained her Masters degree from Cambridge.
“Middle class mentality”
Those were the words of my lecturer 4 years ago. He once said that a majority of our society is stuck in the middle class mentality, where we were raised to study hard as children, get a degree, get a steady job, find a spouse, and raise a good family.
In other words, “Play it safe.”
I am a safe person. Maybe it is because I have been protected by my parents all my life. They had kept me safe, and I am very comfortably snuggled in my cozy cocoon.
At this juncture, just months before I attempt to spread my wings, I do not know how successful I will be as a doctor, a daughter, a wife, or a mother in future.
And qualification might not be the most important thing in life after all, but I still would not dare to venture out into the world without my MD.
I admire the courage and determination of my 2 friends, and my second friend is an example of making life work come what may.
After all that had been said, I have come to realize that the wisdom of growing up is something of ours forever.
And that is what I will hang on to.
He told me he was going to quit med school, and that was the reason he was back at the faculty.
I was not stunned by his statement, as he had been saying this throughout our academic year. Still, I was very surprised at his decision to quit now when we only have less than 3 more months to go.
I asked him why not complete this degree as an insurance. After all, we had gone through almost 5 grueling years of studies. Just 3 more months to make the whole 5 years worthwhile.
He told me that he could not bear to go through this kind of life anymore, and since he will never walk down this path again, what good will the degree do anyway.
His statement made me think of another friend of mine who quit college to run his own business, and after some hits and misses, he is doing well now. He told me that he was not gaining much from college, that the qualification was just a piece of paper anyway.
My encounter with the 2 of them made me question my personal objectives in life. I was raised with the mentality that academic qualification is the most important acquisition of our lives. I grew up believing that a degree is my passport to success. Almost all my friends are graduates, and my sister even obtained her Masters degree from Cambridge.
“Middle class mentality”
Those were the words of my lecturer 4 years ago. He once said that a majority of our society is stuck in the middle class mentality, where we were raised to study hard as children, get a degree, get a steady job, find a spouse, and raise a good family.
In other words, “Play it safe.”
I am a safe person. Maybe it is because I have been protected by my parents all my life. They had kept me safe, and I am very comfortably snuggled in my cozy cocoon.
At this juncture, just months before I attempt to spread my wings, I do not know how successful I will be as a doctor, a daughter, a wife, or a mother in future.
And qualification might not be the most important thing in life after all, but I still would not dare to venture out into the world without my MD.
I admire the courage and determination of my 2 friends, and my second friend is an example of making life work come what may.
After all that had been said, I have come to realize that the wisdom of growing up is something of ours forever.
And that is what I will hang on to.
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