Commencement

My graduation ceremony was held on 9th July 2005. At the National University of Singapore (NUS), the ceremony was termed the Commencement. Indeed, with “Commencement”, a new phase of life has begun, and I have officially closed the chapter of my life as a student.

Thinking back, sometimes, I regretted my choice of going into the Science stream since junior college. Science is something I am relatively good at, but perhaps not passionate about. I may have performed better than a fellow classmate in the examinations, but his love and thirst for laboratory findings probably far surpasses me. At the end of the day, I have received a beautiful certificate, but it is nothing compared to what he has gained.

After all these years of education, I have realized that grades and being good at studying are important, but being passionate about it keeps you “alive”. Many graduates emerge from university claiming that they do not like what they are studying, what they have studied are useless in the working world, and they cannot wait to get out of the education system. But, if you feel this way, like I do at times, why not channel your energy to something you like to do? It may not be something directly related to your academic field, or something that will make you rich one day, but something you really feel passionate about. The key word is “passion”. As one enters the working world, he will probably see that "passion yields performance". If you have made the mistake of choosing the wrong education stream once, make it up to yourself by choosing a job you like.

I look at the thousands of graduates each year, and it is so easy to be hidden and lost in the midst and appear to be just one of the few thousands. A hardly significant one. But, everyone is unique in his or her own way. To his loved ones, and most importantly, to himself.

There is no room for regrets. Every path we take, every decision we make, and every experience in our life moulds us into the way we are now. What we can do is to see how we can move on from where we were.

Grades are passé, let’s move on from here.

Congratulations on your Commencement!