When I was a Secondary 4 student preparing for my O'levels, I remembered being dragged by my mum to a parent-teacher talk in Temasek Poly. I initially agreed to it, thinking it was a talk on Baking and Culinary Sciences, only to realise it was a talk about Information Technology. I was sulking the entire time there as it was not what I wanted.
After having my own personal ambitions constantly dashed by people who deemed them as too niche and having "no future" career-wise, I decided to study IT due to its stable and booming future. However I had no interest in IT so, when I went to school on my first day, I almost burst into tears looking at the content that would be covered.
As I began to reconsider my decision to enter IT, many people gave me differing opinions—some advised me to switch to another course in year 1 while others told me that it was best to stay in IT.
Quite frankly, I was hesitant to change courses in the middle of Poly as I feared being behind my peers and honestly, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. What if I start to lose interest in my passions if I decided to pursue them academically? My parents had also discouraged me from switching courses mid-Poly as they said it wasn’t good to keep “changing my mind”.
Looking back, I wish I hadn’t allowed myself to be inhibited by my fears and that I would be daring to take a chance to study what I liked.
The three years I spent studying IT was difficult for me. I found myself doing well in modules that weren’t even related to coding and struggling with the ones that were. My grades weren’t the best or the worst and I often found myself envious of those who were able to pursue their passions.
Alas, I sucked up my feelings and eventually, I reached the end of my Poly journey and it was time for me to make another important academic decision—what to study at University.
Personally, it wasn't difficult to decide that I wouldn't be studying IT or anything even remotely related to IT in University. I didn't enjoy IT and I couldn't thrive in it either. Thus, it wouldn't have been a good idea for me to study it for another 4 years, what more to pursue it as my career.
In my final year of Poly, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to study Social Work in University as I wanted to be able to help people with financial or familial difficulties. There were people who tried to ask me to reconsider whether or not that was the right path to go.
However, I didn't want to make the same mistake I made when I was 16 years old—giving in to what other people thought was best for me. This time, I wanted to study something that I was interested in. I had full responsibility for my decision this time and it made me feel liberated.
Having gone through the dilemma of switching courses to study what I was interested in, I would like to give one piece of advice to those who are also caught in the dilemma. You may decide to switch courses mid-Poly, or you may choose to do so only after you graduate but the more important thing is to find out your strengths, weaknesses and passions in life.
Use those to guide you to where you should go and while it is good to listen to the advice of others, ultimately, this is your choice to make. Don't let other people make it for you.
Stuck in a dilemma like Agape? Wondering whether or not to switch to a different Poly or course? Unsure about where to go next after Poly? Chat with us on Telegram @ cutt.ly/askasenior now! We are always here to help you!
