There have been reports in the media, that youths today no longer see the need to continue their education. Many aspire to become grab drivers or foodpanda, Tiktokers or youtubers. Unfortunately, this way of thinking is not sustainable not only for themselves but, for the nation and the future generation.
Perhaps these youngsters think that being a grab driver can fund their lifestyle, but, with the fast-paced growing technology, it would not be surprising if drivers will soon be replaced by automated delivery robots. In fact, there have been talks of using drones to deliver parcels to homes which if found to be reliable and effective, can significantly reduce the needs for delivery servicemen.
The content on tiktok where most are for entertainment purposes only, can not be a long term source of income for many. As people age, the need for big adventures, being raucous and behaving dangerously is reduced significantly as people calm down and the awareness of fragile mortality set in. old tiktokers will quickly be replaced by new tiktokers, and old platforms will be quickly set obsolete as users move from one platform to the next. What ever happened to Snapchat, the popular chatting app of the early mid teenies ( 2015-2020)? Many influencers have also quit due to burnout, stress and anxiety. Some others have also been cruelly cancelled because of posting ridiculous, dangerous or downright criminal content thus, the end of their online careers. Without an education, what can they fall back onto?
While many are starting to shun education seeing it as being useless, until today, it is still important to have one going up to at least tertiary education. Having an education means that you have created the foundation to provide a good life not only for yourself but, also your family. You also have the potential to not only get a good income, but can also be an income provider and create job opportunities for many others which help to drive the nation’s economy.
In this 21st century, there is reduced need for routine jobs and more requirement for non-routine jobs. Complex problem solving is the number one requirement for the 2015 and 2020 job skills employers are looking for. Technology which requires good background in science, mathematics, language and engineering will slowly become further and further advanced. Therefore, youths need to prepare themselves for work that can contribute to furthering the nation and society such as in engineering, medicine, human resource instead of settling for routine work that may soon be replaced with automated means.
The youths today need to be more creative in designing their careers paths. having some work experience at a young age, such as during the semester break or from internship can help increase confidence and communication skills and help to secure a job after graduation. Being active in your university years can also build good networking to secure future jobs. Studying for a third language such as mandarin or Arabic and having good technology skills can be very helpful. Some companies may also look for potential staff who are good in sports, music or in community service as part of the company program, therefore, having these skills as part of your resume can be good in applying for jobs. All these can be learnt in your primary, secondary and tertiary education. Thus education, prepares you for a good life.
There are so many communities out there such as the orang asli people, who are fighting for an education. Some need to travel very far over an hour a day, taking the sampan, or boats to get to school as part of their journey. Low-income families are also hoping their children can help to alleviate themselves from poverty through good education and gaining a stable income. So how can, some of us with so much opportunities within our hands say no to education?
