Think out of the box? Know the box first (Category: Educational Issues)
Source: Newslink
This article is a personal narrative by a photojournalist, Ian, as he talks about his childhood experience about choosing between the arts and sciences for his school subjects and occupation. He had a keen interest towards art when he was young, but his mother would rather he becomes a doctor when he grows up. This is actually a typical scenario in Singapore, as most parents prefer high-paying jobs such as doctors and lawyers. In my opinion, choosing school subjects and an occupation should be based on one’s own interest instead of the amount of pay. Many parents feel that “professionals” such as doctors and lawyers will earn a much higher pay than “lowly jobs” such as an artist painting portraits for others. However, I feel that as long as one is willing to put in effort in his job, he will also get a higher pay. For example, a famous artist who can paint “life-like” portraits would earn more than a normal doctor working at a clinic. Hence, as long as one have an interest in a job and is willing to work hard in it, he should definitely aim for it.
Students should also have the same mentality when choosing subjects. Some students choose certain subjects because they are easier to score in, or they are “more important”. However, after half a year of studying these “certain subjects”, they will soon get bored and lose interest in studying for them. Students should choose subjects based on interest – as long as they study hard, they can still score high and get a job that suits their interest.
Parents should also give their children free will to choose their field of study. Many typical Singaporean parents have the mindset that science is an important subject and a strong foundation for most jobs, while the arts cannot get you anywhere far in Singapore. However, this frame of thinking is wrong – the arts are important, as they allow people to have a greater breadth of thinking. They are also “professional” jobs which hire people based on the arts, as “professions” can be trained, while creativity cannot be taught. Even if an artist cannot find a job locally, there are many openings for artistic people overseas.
Like what the title says, “Think out of the box? Know the box first.” You must first know what you want, in order to work hard for it, and then excel in this field of work.
