Story #57
Q: How did you decide on your undergraduate course of study?
A: I decided on my major because I loved Literature and did reasonably well in it. My parents were supportive and did not prescribe any conditions for my university major.
Q: In retrospect, what did you think were the most useful lessons/ skills/ knowledge you'd gained from your undergraduate education?
A: Because I was already motivated to study the subject, I spent a very fruitful 4 years exploring Literature and learning how to do good research. The most useful skills I have honed are being analytical (in drawing my own conclusions after reading multiple critiques), being creative (in sourcing for information and making arguments), and paying attention to detail (in drawing information from the primary texts I read).
Q: How has your undergraduate education influenced your career choice?
A: Studying literature did not influence my career choice - taking up a scholarship did. People tend to see teaching as a 'natural' progression from majoring in Literature, but it is not! Loving literature is not the same as loving teaching. To be sure that I wanted to teach, I did 6 months of relief teaching before signing the dotted line.
Q: Briefly describe your current job scope.
A: I teach GP in a junior college, and coordinate the Education & Career Guidance (ECG) unit. As a GP teacher my work involves lesson planning, assignment grading, and providing consultations. As the ECG coordinator, I plan and work with my team to create activities to help students learn more about themselves, and explore their potential place(s) in the world, be it in a higher education institution, or in an industry.
Q: To what extent is your current job related to your undergraduate course of study?
A: Totally related - I acquired the skills required to perform the job through my undergraduate education/ The course was a pre-requisite for my job.
Q: What are some additional areas you wish your undergraduate education could have covered?
A: N.A.