Stop the world, I wanna get on!

In yesterday’s Weekend Today, the leading article, Universities in scholarship war, highlighted the increasing trend of local universities offering bond-free scholarships to their students. What interested me in particular, was this quote by a 20-year-old student who had secured such a scholarship:

“I got disillusioned by the idea of a bonded scholarship, because I wasn’t ready to commit to a career or company yet.”

This certainly sparked my interest, as she had echoed the sentiments I had when I was her age. Most of the scholarships available 4 years ago when I first applied to university (how time flies!) were bonded, meaning that I would have had to serve for about 4 years in the company that had sponsored my studies. To a 19-year-old who had no idea as to what she wanted in her future career, the idea of a bonded scholarship sparked an inner monologue similar to the one below:

“At least I’m guaranteed of a job once I graduate, that’s good right? At least my parents can be proud of me for once.”

“But I don’t know if I like the job/company… I might end up being stuck and miserable for the next 4 years.”

“Oh but it’s only going to be 4 years. Maybe the time will pass by quickly..?”

…which pretty much added to the confusion.

The dangling carrot in the form of the sponsored tuition fees is certainly attractive to students and parents alike, given the high cost of university education in Singapore. But I think that many students balk at the idea of serving a bond, mainly because of the lack of freedom to change our minds about the company we would want to work for upon graduation. (Well technically you can buy your way out of the bond, but then you have to live with the stain of being labeled a “bond-breaker”.)

Personally, I feel that at 19 you cannot expect the average youth to know what he wants to do. Even now at almost 23, I still ask myself the same questions. What do I want to be? Where do my interests lie? Why am I finding it hard to decide on a career when others seem to have no problems? What’s my special talent?

Recently, I made an important decision. After having studied accounting for almost 4 years, I decided that I would not become an accountant, or an auditor, or a tax consultant or any other jobs to which I would have been a shoo-in for, given my qualifications.

Many people have questioned my decision. As a couple of friends put it, “With your degree, you are absolutely assured of a job”. And even when I said that I was not interested in it, they would say “just spend a couple of years slogging it out, earn some money and then switch jobs”. While I saw where they were coming from (a practical approach), I thought they were missing the point.

If I took the route they described, it would be no better than serving out a bond to which I felt obligated, without a frisson of passion for the job. I would be no better than a drone.

Sure, some would call me impractical, foolish or even reckless, but I am absolutely certain that accounting is not for me. It does not match my personality, nor any of my abilities, and frankly, I have no care for it. Like the above video from The Producers, I can definitely identify with Leo Bloom, the accountant who realises that he wants to be a movie producer (perhaps without the dancing showgirls).

As to my actual career plans? I am almost afraid to say it, but I still don’t have a clear picture of what I want to do with my life. However, I do feel like my decision to “break my bond” so to speak has been a step in a positive direction, albeit a small step.

Does anyone else feel the same way? And to those who have found their true calling, how do you decide that it is truly what you want to do and not just a hunch that you may be blindly following?