I am in my 50s.
Years ago, when I was a kid, I was told I will be successful in life once I get a degree. I will be able to get a good job, marry a good wife, have a good family, and so on and so forth. I was brought up to believe that a degree is the end all and the only thing I need for my life to be good. Getting a degree became one major focus, and for that matter, it was not just about pursuing a degree, it was to get a good degree. And so, with only a very vague view of what the world was like, the pursue of a good life boiled down to one basic principle - study hard, get good grades, go to university (and get a good degree).
Teachers back then were highly respected and parents listened to them. After all, they were the gateway to all information. It was the time where internet was not available and information was scarce. School life was very regimented and studies were very focused on getting good grades. The education system focused on developing my cognitive abilities, particularly in the areas of science, English and mathematics. On the other hand, my parents (primarily my mum) shaped my values in life. I grew up a very “typical” product of the Singapore education system.
Looking back, I had taken a path shaped by what’s available and what people asked me to do. It wasn’t based my career aspirations. For that matter, the idea of career aspirations was vague. At that time, it seemed like everyone wants to be a doctor or a lawyer. And so, like many of my peers, I went for medical school interview but didn’t make it. I eventually became a military person, almost primarily because I needed the money to get a degree. And that kinda fix me for the next decade or so. In the military, my career progression was very structured and everything was planned for. And for many of us, we only had one aim - to work hard, do well and get promoted. Post-service life was not something we need to pay too much attention to. Just focus on doing well in your work. Duty Honour Country - that was the mantra that was regularly in the forefront of our thought processes.
What I went through back then was totally different from what I am experiencing now. In the corporate world, changes occur at a lightning speed. Expectations are different. You have to work hard constantly to stay relevant or your are out. Expectations from leaders are also different as they were shaped by a hugely differently environment during their growing up years. To stay relevant, one needs to constantly learn, unlearn and relearn and remain constantly on his toes and to be aware of new and upcoming trends so that he can be ready for it. Our earlier mindset of working hard in the early decade of our working life, climb the corporate ladder and take things slower in our latter parts of our career is no longer valid. For many of us, we have learned (or forced) to adapt, even if we had to struggle through it. Learn, unlearn, relearn... that’s the order of the day. But for many others, they have given up and fallen out of the race, choosing to take things slow, do social service, volunteer, etc. And this reminds me of something more fundamental - Charles Darwin - Survival of the Fittest. And another chinese phrase - the waves pushes the earlier waves (that has weaken).
Ok, I’ve been rattling non-stop. Unstructured thoughts that just flow. But it does reflect my frustrations of having to constantly struggle to keep up with the rat race...
