Be practical with education choices

Many parents are still spending millions on their children’s education. They often empty their nest eggs just to get their children a place in the best university, locally or foreign. This was a good thing in the past when such a degree will guarantee a good career and a good return on their investments.

The reality today is very different. A good education is not only a financially depleting enterprise, it can be very depressing and even suicidal to some when the good jobs did not come along with the degree but an outstanding debt for the parents and a child feeling so indebted and guilty to their parents. The simple equation of pay for a good education and ending with a good and rewarding job is not working anymore. There are many depressing and heartbreaking stories of jobless graduates or graduates ended up as waiters, temp staff, taxi drivers and even security guards. What is the point of an education, a very expensive one, when the end is a broken dream and joblessness?

Under such circumstances, it is important for parents to seriously understand the new ball game and be prepared for it, to know what they want and whether it is value for money. The time and money invested in the child must be proportional to the returns and the expectations. Study the job market and find out what jobs go to who and from where and work the sums and plan accordingly.

Those who want their children to be top civil servants or millionaire politicians, there is only one route, get a scholarship from the govt. A PM scholarship is useless, I mean a Papa Mama scholarship would be unworthy for such a quest.

For those who want their children to be in the banking and finance industry, there is only one place to go, India. Practically all the hires in the industry are graduates from Indian universities. The top guys are from India, the recruiting agents are from India, the people doing the interviews are of Indian origins. This is real, and if one aspires to be a banker, go get an Indian university education. And better still, marry an Indian and get the right connections. This is a piece of practical advice, a gem.

Not very long ago, all the Indians who want to be a top civil servant or minister would want to marry a Singapore Chinese. This formula is not going to work in the future. The trend is reversing.

And India is also good for those who want to be in IT. It is a must place to go. Forget about those top ranking local universities. They are good only on paper.

And for those who are looking for a career in the service industries, like waiters, counter boys and girls, telemarketing, the place to go is the Philippines. They are producing the best and the highest number of employees in these fields. Even answering services, the best place to go is now the Philippines. Use to be India. And the university fees and cost of living are also cheaper. The total cost for such a degree is probably 20 percent of those in our local universities and 10 per cent for one in Australia, US or UK.

Now, why would parents want to spend so much in the education of their children to become a counter service staff or a waiter or waitress when a degree in the Philippines will do? And why go to Australia, UK or US when a degree from India is so much cheaper and in demand?

Parents must think out of the box, be practical and realistic. The world is changing. Get a degree from a country that is marketable. And now India is tops and the Philippines is second.

Good luck to all of you and your children. Hope they will get their degrees and their waiter or counter service jobs. Of course a cheaper and better choice is not to waste the money, just be a hawker, no need degrees.

Snowden a role model for civil servants

Mandela is a role model for ex colonial leaders that were abused, beaten and locked up by the colonialists but was willing to let bygones be bygones, kissed the colonialists and moved on with life. Snowden is the shining role model for citizens working for their govt and made to do the unsavoury, the unethical and committing crimes against their citizens and brave enough to stand up to expose the trespasses.

Modern societies are hijacked by crooks in the govt and big corporations, all with the intent to exploit the innocent and ignorant masses for their own personal good. And while claiming moral righteousness and authority, they are doing exactly the opposite. The biggest culprits are the Americans that the gullibles across the world believed were angels, the guardians of human rights and human goodness. They are the most depraved and wicked of all human beans, perpetuating terrors, inciting and starting wars and killing the innocents in a scale never known before.

Snowden has reappeared in the news again. And he is proud to say that he has done what he set out to do, mission accomplished. Snowden told the Washington Post that ‘he was satisfied because journalists have been able to tell the story of the US govt’s collection of bulk Internet and phone records, an activity that has grown dramatically in the decade since the Sept 11,m 2001 terror attacks’. He added that he did not want to change society but want to give society a chance to determine if it should change itself. And referring to his employer, the NSA, Snowden said he was not trying to bring down the NSA but to improve it.

What Snowden said was as good as telling govt officers to be morally upright and stand for justice to the people. When a govt is playing dirty, unethical, or demanding govt officers to stoop to disgraceful and morally wrong practices, the govt officers must stand up to stop the wrong, to expose the govt. By doing so, it is helping the govt, the agency he works and the fellow officers to be better, to not do things that are morally wrong, to prevent agency and officers from being made to commit crimes against the people.

This is a very strong message that Snowden is sending out to all govt officers. Do not be made an accomplice of crooked govt officials and be a part of the crime. A govt, a govt agency, can only be upright and do the right thing if the officers are upright and not be cowed or beholden to do the wrong things. Only then can the country and the people progress and live a life as free people and with dignity.

Snowden is labeled a traitor by his govt. The truth is that his govt leaders are the real traitors to his country and people.

Don’t waste your money on tertiary education

It is not worth it. Read the below comment by a mother posted in TRE.

‘mala:

December 20, 2013 at 7:04 pm 

I m 62years mum, my son nus graduate is jobless for nearly 3years.he is depress now and on medication.can the pap gov understand my pain and how my heart is aching.’

Sadly, many parents and their graduate children are in the same dire straits. Many have dug out their life savings to put their children through universities. Some sold their properties, downgrade from private to HDB, some from bigger HDB to smaller HDB flats, to squeeze the money needed for overseas university tuition fees, for the sake of their children. And what happened? They could not get a decent job in their home country, the same country they called home, served NS and pledged to defend with their lives, while there are more than a million good jobs taken up by foreigners.

I encourage all parents not to waste their money sending their children to universities, here in world best universities, or overseas in unranked universities. Many would end up jobless and suffer depression. And if they ended up working in part time jobs or driving taxis, they would never be able to earn enough to recover what the parents had paid for their education.  If parents do not want to heed my advice, never mind, just listen to the good ministers, no need university education, be hawkers or be other skill workers. These are good advices from people in the know, people who made policies that affect everyone of us. Don’t listen to me, listen to them.

I feel very sorry to so many parents and their graduate children who ended up jobless and had no better choice than to drive taxis while foreigners are swarming this Sin City to replace them. Sad indeed.
This is the real hard truth that more and more Sinkies would have to live with. Great place to live, and a great life, for the very rich and for foreigners. Sinkies must be grateful for their good fortune to live in this great city.

Kee chiu to support fare hike

The poll is coming to an end in a few minutes and 238 voters have casted their votes. 230 have kee chiu but not to support the fare hike. Instead they opposed the fare hike. So, what kind of poll will say many supported the fare hike when a simple poll shows that 96% is against the hike?

I think this poll here must be misleading, drumming, not telling the truth. Ok please ignore this poll. It is saying the wrong thing. Let's move on and welcome the fare hike whole heartedly, as sure as the sun will rise.

Thailand, Anarchy approved

The violence in Thailand is not a spontaneous uprising of a people under oppression. From the look of things, it is a carefully planned violence orchestrated by some very powerful forces that no one would want to talk about. The confidence and arrogance and law defying protestors speak volumes as to where they are coming from. This violence is going to increase in tempo and will lead to more bloodshed. And no forces, not the govt, is able or wanting to contain it. For they know what the dark forces are. And the rioters went about as if knowing that they have the licence to kill. So the govt cannot act, the army would not act. It is a kind of paralysis, and a stage set for anarchy.

Anarchy is going to be the order of the day. And the Yingluck govt may just stay its hand and let the mob do its utmost destruction to Thailand. Any attempt by the Yingluck govt will see greater forces being unleashed to bring it down. The dark side is bent on bringing down Yingluck’s govt by any means and waiting for the govt to act against the rioters. Maybe this is just the natural order of things to come when a dynasty is about to eclipse itself and a new mandate is being slated to take its place.

When the dark side has expended its forces and reveals itself as the forces of evil, a more powerful and spontaneous force will sweep across Thailand to welcome and establish a new order. In the aftermath of destruction will rise a new Thailand.

Would this be the fate of Thailand or will the old hierarchy be reinstated with the defeat of the Yingluck govt? Who will ultimately triumph, the old autocrats in Bangkok or the poor peasants across the country?