From the moment we’re born, many of our lives are already mapped out. Some parents have chosen the schools we’ll attend, perhaps even the subjects we’ll study. While I understand the intention behind this, it saddens me that our blueprints can be so rigidly set before we even begin to explore who we truly are.
When I reflect on my own educational journey, it’s clear that what I gained went far beyond textbooks. I began with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences in Melbourne, Australia, majoring in politics and sociology. Later, I pursued law and was called to the UK Bar at Lincoln’s Inn. On paper, it all sounds impressive, but the real education came not from the degrees themselves but from the experiences that shaped me along the way.
In Singapore, the structured education system felt like a straightjacket. Everything was laid out, predictable and, honestly, boring. I craved the freedom to explore the “whys” that no one seemed to ask. It wasn’t until I moved to Australia, where the school system was much less rigid, that I truly began to thrive. University there was different—it offered a taste of responsibility, though within boundaries that kept us somewhat sheltered. I lived at home, a safety net that allowed me to venture into the real world without fully stepping out of my comfort zone.
It was only later, when I moved to the UK for law school, that I was truly thrown into an unstructured world. Living in a dorm with people from different countries, walking to school every day, and engaging with diverse perspectives—these experiences were invaluable. They fed my curiosity, challenged my preconceived notions, and taught me how much I didn’t know.
Looking back, I realize that growing up in such a structured environment left me naive when faced with the real world. In many ways, this ties back to Asian culture, where we often protect rather than empower. This kind of protection doesn’t serve us well until much later in life, after we’ve made mistakes and experienced setbacks. We become book-smart but emotionally immature, unprepared for the complexities of life beyond the classroom.
This brings me to the core of what I want to share: Education should never define who we are at our core. Who we are begins at birth, shaped by experiences that force us to introspect, to question, and to grow. Education, in the traditional sense, is just one set of keys to open certain doors. But it’s an uneven landscape—some of us have access to higher education, while others don’t. A certificate should never be the measure of a person’s worth, because every one of us has potential.
The real purpose of education should be to empower us to find our passion early in life. The longer it takes, the higher the cost in terms of lost time and missed opportunities. So, let’s rethink the role of education. Let it be a guide, not a definition. Let it open doors, not box us in. And most importantly, let it help us find our way to who we really are, not just who we’re expected to be.
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