Hi guys,
am having life's hardest choice now. seeking from some opinions
i am 19 this year, still in sec 3 normal(retained as a foreigner),i am thinking to stop my sec life and jump to Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification straightly as i have a passion about it.
here are my concern:
1. is o level important in future?
2. whats the impact if i go for CAT without a O cer in future?
3. i am not young anymore, should i waste my time in sec school?
your reply would be deeply appreciated!!
my advice is to head home...........S'pore is a dead-end............
O level is very important. It is a must have for everybody in Singapore. At least you get a O level cert before you go on to other courses. Don't worry about age.
Hmm
1. O level is a stepping stone to further your studies.
2. impact not very much actually. but you might need to go for some language cause since you don't have a O level cert.
3. There isn't such thing as waste time for education. It only give you more options in life.
Just my 2cents worth of thoughts.
thank u so much for the reply, guys.
may i know wat u do for a living,Voltrons?
Without O levels English, you're practically trash.
Yes, GCE O Level is important in the sense it opens more door to your future. It will enable you to select more courses. Jumping straight into CAT does not solve the root problem at all. If you have problems doing GCE O level, most likely you will face problems in CAT too.
My advice: Complete your GCE O Level first. It does not matter about at what age you take O Level. It is livelong learning process. I hope you aren't affected by how our society views 19yo sec3 repeat student. There is nothing wrong with age, it's just that there is a unspoken stigma within us. People may give you weird look if you were to tell them this.
I may have a book for you. Sent me a PM alright?
Best Regards,
Chin Seng
6 Year Private Tutor
Homework Forum Moderator
Hi Keith,
First of all, I'm glad you haven't dropped out of school yet to pursue anything.
That shows at least you are mature enough to be considering it as a serious option but not jumping into anything yet.
In most parts of Asia (if you're not planning of staying in Singapore in the long term or have plans to leave) education is the most important thing in a young person's life.
Sadly, despite the fact that university doesn't make a smart person or doesn't necessary mean you're talented/"educated", emphasis is still placed on the 'paper' qualification as opposed to the actual wisdom attained from it.
This is not to say education isn't important. The rite of going through schooling, university and even further education is very significant - the people you meet, the things you learn, the networking - is all a wonderful life experience that teaches you to socialise, problem-solve and adapt in a social environment.
Another important thing to remember is that you are still young so your plans might change in the future.
If you quit school now to pursue the certificate you think you want, if things change in the future (maybe you decide you want to be a chef? Or you fall in love with financial planning?) - you'll be stuck with a relatively obsolete specialised certificate, many years of experience but no formal qualification to really help give you a push to the other side.
Formal qualification is important and either way if you want to get that technical cert you can always get a degree qualification in that field so you will be able to achieve proper career progression.
I advise you to finish your 'O's, go to poly/take your 'A's, get into Uni or go through distance learning to attain your degree qualification.
That way you at least know that if in the future circumstances change you can always rely on your degree to jump ship to another field, or diversify.
By the way, I just noticed you think that you are not 'young' anymore.
That is bullcrap.
You still have your whole life ahead of you.
I've known so many people who dropped out of school for whatever reason, and then went back to school later in life and became successful.
If you have motivation, determination to succeed and goals, you will achieve. The whole emphasis Singapore places on 'you must be X age so by X age you must have achieved 'X', 'Y' and 'Z' is rubbish and creates so much pressure on young individuals to the point that they just rush into any rubbish qualification as long as they get some diploma/degree.
In the end they never ever use it or learn anything from it - its completely wasted.
As long as you plan wisely, and have contingency plans (Plan B) just in case you think you do not want to go ahead with whatever you are doing - you will be fine.
Good luck!
Originally posted by Keith presley:Hi guys,
am having life's hardest choice now. seeking from some opinions
i am 19 this year, still in sec 3 normal(retained as a foreigner),i am thinking to stop my sec life and jump to Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification straightly as i have a passion about it.
here are my concern:
1. is o level important in future?
2. whats the impact if i go for CAT without a O cer in future?
3. i am not young anymore, should i waste my time in sec school?
your reply would be deeply appreciated!!
Google search what are the qualification for a certified accoutant first before blah before you decide.
1. is o level important in future? depends on what you do
2. whats the impact if i go for CAT without a O cer in
future? you will get stuck at the low level.
3. i am not young anymore, should i waste my time in sec
school? Even if you end up in jail, you are spending time reflecting yourself. As long as you are putting effort to do something which will let you gain some value in the the future you are not wasting time.How many people spend half their life and they end up bankrupt in their mid life, do you know?
TS,
GameGoddess provide a more objective approach.
Sometime Education is not the only way to succeed in Career......
If you are to take CAT....than be sure to take it all the way up to ACCA. Than CPA. That would be a path you have to stick by and not fall half way.....
Accounting department sometime goes by seniority if you accumulate enough experience they are not going to look at your high school result.
lol. good question you ask.
i'm currently a NSF. -.- why? lol.
2 years ago I helped a frustrated foreign student to switch from NA to NA-Through-Train. Last year he took 3 O-level subjects and obtained all A1's. He is 19 this year sitting O-level for his other 4 subjects. He believes that he can make it to JC next year.
Being raised under Singapore education system, I am always interested in "beating the system". Sometimes it cost us zero to beat the system. Sometimes it costs us a lot. For your case, pursuing CAT is probably one way to beat the system. I am not familiar with this course and so cannot advise you on whether this is a good alternative.
You probably want to read some articles on "Beating the System". Please feel free to leave your comments in the Contact Form should you want us to contact you.
Originally posted by Keith presley:Hi guys,
am having life's hardest choice now. seeking from some opinions
i am 19 this year, still in sec 3 normal(retained as a foreigner),i am thinking to stop my sec life and jump to Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification straightly as i have a passion about it.
here are my concern:
1. is o level important in future?
2. whats the impact if i go for CAT without a O cer in future?
3. i am not young anymore, should i waste my time in sec school?
your reply would be deeply appreciated!!
Of course O level is important ! At least you have wide general qualification to fall back on. Are you crazy? Who have passion for Accounting? It is the most boring subject in the world.