It has been 2 years since I finished school and it is periods like these that really get me worried. It is the examination period in the country and it is when we see if going to school and seriously learning really meant a thing to some.
I hate saying this but I personally hate examinations. The reason I get worried however is a result of the memories that come back from the time when i finished school, and the mistakes I have made when choosing a career. I really wish that the outgoing form 5s could have very well planned and conducted career guidance lectures.
It is true some have already had them, but my worry is if they were conducted properly. It could be very effective if this was to be done again after the results are out (well, I'm saying this through experience- It is a great teacher, remember?). According to my own experience, you go into the examination room in high spirits and courage (especially if you studied effectively), not knowing about the traumatic questions you may meet in there and that may mess up with your performance and end up affecting your results.
This is where my worry comes in then : What on earth can you do with messed up results except going back to restart high school ?
Smart
I have always been this smart kid from a very tender age (and I really mean it). By smart I do not mean studying and preparing well for my exams or managing my time well to pass the exam, but I mean getting done with school (for that particular day) and going home to watch TV, then straight to bed. I still managed to be at the top of my game with that 'routine'.
life was so great (as I saw it) and nothing really bothered me. Obviously, being smart meant proceeding to the next grade which needed more work and attention but I guess I was 'too smart' to realize that.
It was not until I realized that I was already at everybody's level in class (something that was very hard to believe). I would be called in front of the class with an average mark just like everyone else who played games like me. Going to bed having not read at least 5 pages of my note book before a test meant flunking. Reality struck!! I passed my Junior Certificate level with 'good' grades and proceeded to the real test in school life, High School.
Dream Career
I have always wanted to be a journalist. i seriously could not imagine life without it ( I still cannot). At a very tender age I would dream about interviews with the big shots of this lifetime. Presidents, Kings, Queens and business people. I have always been a book worm, a short story writer and an imaginary reporter (yeah! CRAZY, I know). I would (I still do) create scenarios in my mind and write reports about them. Reading and writing has always been a part of me.
I wrote my SGCSE (form 5) and got good grades that could allow me to a couple of universities and colleges around the country. Yes, I applied for my dream career and got accepted but was denied scholarship. Guess what!! my mind took a spin and it stopped working for a second, I could not think well at all.
'How on earth was I not awarded the scholarship?' I asked myself.
The fear of being laughed at by former school mates who thought of me as this guy who 'knew it all' struck me! I could not afford to take a gap year, I could not afford to just sit at home while time passed by. It is for that reason I took off to a local college where I applied for a course on the last day of applications.This goes back to what i mentioned earlier on: career guidance and counseling should be easily available even after the results come out so that school leavers will be told about possible situations afterwards.
I was admitted to study Human Resource Management. To be honest, I did not like it at first (Not sure if I do now) but then I realized its importance and need nowadays in society, but that does not cover up for the blunder I made.
Yes! I should have taken a gap year and appealed to the scholarship board and did my passion, journalism. I am finishing my diploma in HR next year and definitely starting what I love more.
What exactly am i trying to say here? Done with your exams? Grab a chair, take a seat and think before you act. Do not compromise what you want with what you think will help you fix your mistakes. Good things come to those who wait, remember?
I rest my case.....
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