I’m in a unique position when it comes to the whole I’m-a-graduating-senior-and-I-need-to-figure-out-what-I’m-gonna-do-after-college thing because I’ve had a job lined up for over four years. Allow me to explain.
I’m an international student from Singapore, where a number of government agencies and private companies offer full scholarships to recent high school graduates. Most scholarship recipients choose to go to college in America or the United Kingdom. These recipients’ tuition is fully covered and they also receive a monthly stipend.
Since few colleges offer need-blind admission to international students, securing a scholarship seems to be the only way for many Singaporean students to get an overseas education. The scholarship application process is extremely competitive, and many students—myself included—go into it thinking that it’d be great to walk away with just a single offer. Any one will do!
The scholarship, however, comes with strings attached. You need to work for the agency or company for a certain number of years after graduation (typically six), and you also need to maintain a minimum GPA (usually somewhere in the range of 3.75). If your GPA slips below that, you’re in danger of losing your scholarship. So if you know some Singaporean kids who are really intense about grades, there’s a good chance it’s because there’s a few hundred thousand dollars riding on their academic performance.
After that lengthy explanation, the bottom line is that I’m on one of these scholarships. I’ve known—even before freshman year—that I’ll be working for Singapore Airlines after I graduate.
A lot of my friends who are seniors are looking for jobs or waiting to hear back from grad schools. It’s obviously a nerve-racking experience. I’ve heard them say things like, “I’m not sure if I have a future,” “I’m just gonna apply to more random jobs and grad schools,” and “I’ll take whatever I can get.” I can identify, because many similar thoughts crossed my mind when I was 18 and applying for scholarships.
I’ve had four years to think about the significance of a job and career, in light of the fact that I know where I’ll be working for at least the next few years. I’ve concluded that there’s one powerful factor that fuels our desire to promptly finalize our post-graduation plans: the fear of being a loser.
Given that I have a job and that my work experience only consists of two summer internships, I know I risk sounding hypocritical and overly idealistic by writing this column. But hear me out.
We’re pretty quick to label people as losers, even though we’re well aware it’s one of the most hurtful things you could call someone. Never been kissed? Loser. Socially inept? Loser. Living with your parents after college? Loser. If you don’t have something concrete lined up for after graduation, it seems almost guaranteed that some people are going to think you’re a loser.
This idea of losers implies that there are winners, which further implies that life is some sort of race. It’s a notion I disagree with. Life isn’t meant to be a ladder-climbing competition to see who can get to the top first. After all, there are clearly people who have reached the top of the ladder—entrepreneurs, politicians, entertainers, athletes—but who still aren’t happy.
I believe it’s less about our position on the ladder and more about whether our ladder is leaning against the right wall. We often get so caught up asking the “how” questions—How can I make my resume look better? How do I ensure I get the job?—that we forget to ask the “why” questions, the ones that clarify our true motivations. Defining our motivations for choosing a particular career is an essential part of confirming that the ladder is, indeed, leaning against the right wall.
Our career is an important part of our life, but we need to recognize that it’s only one element of our life’s purpose. We have many roles—employee, entrepreneur, parent, friend, son, daughter—we must utilize in order to fulfill that purpose, and it’s vital that we don’t confuse the former with the latter.
If you’re a senior and you’re uncertain about what you’re doing after graduation, I hope you’ve realized that life is not a competition, that you have a future and that you’re definitely not a loser. You’re not a loser if you start climbing the ladder later than others, and you’re not a loser if you don’t reach the top.
But—and I say this to all of us who have been blessed with resources and the liberty to choose—we shortchange ourselves if we willingly decide to climb a ladder that’s leaning against the wrong wall. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen; let’s ask why before we ask how.
Daniel Wong is a Pratt Senior. His column runs every other Wednesday.
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