Was My Education Worth It?
It is indeed the dream of most parents — well, at least for mine — that their children should receive the best education possible. And for many middle-class Asian families, education comes with enormous sacrifice.
Parents spend their entire lives saving, compromising, and working hard so their children can study at good schools and colleges.
I was also part of that same race.
From the very first day of school, the message was simple: Get good marks so you can get a good job and build a successful life.
But life does not always work according to formulas.
Being an average child academically, I worked hard, but somewhere along the journey I often felt success standing just one step away from me.
Still, the sacrifices and expectations of my family never allowed me to give up, so I kept pushing forward and continued giving my best.
Even after completing my bachelor’s degree, I still had to start from the basic level and slowly work my way up.
And honestly, it was not my degree alone that kept me from sinking midway.
It was my hard skills, soft skills, attitude, communication, and ability to deal with people that truly helped me survive.
Surprisingly, some of the most important lessons needed to survive in a workplace were never taught in college.
Yes, you heard that right.
No one really taught us: how to handle difficult managers, how to survive toxic workplaces, how to communicate during pressure, or how important attitude truly is.
I often hear employers say: “We can teach skills, but attitude is very difficult to change.”
And looking back now, I realise they were probably right.
In college, we were taught how to become future managers and successful professionals, but nobody really prepared us emotionally for the realities of working life.
It has rightly been said: Employees often do not leave organisations — they leave bosses.
And another harsh truth: Love your job if you want, but never expect the organisation to love you back the same way, because companies replace people far more easily than people expect.
That is why I believe education — in any field — should spend more time teaching people management, emotional intelligence, communication, teamwork, and self-awareness.
Because at the end of the day, how long you survive in a workplace often depends less on your degree and more on the relationships you build with your team and managers.
Otherwise, many educated people slowly become lost souls carrying qualifications but searching for peace.
