Is Getting a Degree really THAT Important ?

I came across an article on Indonesian badminton player Ronald Susilo in the Strait's Times section of LIFE ! today and he was quoted saying something like " he scored an aggregate of 20 points for 6 subjects in his O Levels and thought of the normal Singaporean route which was to attend a junior college and eventually to the University but what would he be doing after that? Hence, he decided that badminton is something he liked and hence, enrolled in the Singapore Badminton Association".

He eventually became one of Singapore's best national badminton player and had even won USD 14,000 in the 2004 Asian Games once ! (I believe his other wins would have fetched more big money for himself !) Recently, he was roped in to be a model, earning a 4-digit figure sum for a mere week's of work !

So look, I do agree that it is not really necessary to attend University, get a Bachelor's, then a Master's, then a PhD or whatevers. Some people still do not know where to head to after landing all those papers in their laps !

Another encounter which made me recollect about the above was about this law graduate who applied for a junior position in my company and came for an interview. The way his interviewer described about how he had fared during his interview was simply hilarious and belittling. Pathetic was the only word I can use to describe him then. He was not hired in the end after all.

But of course, as what most old folks say, a degree is the passport to life, ONLY if it is used properly. Ironically, it seemed that most graduates I know did not really earn big bucks or are switching to something very different from what they had studied in University.

But guess what ? Some people I know who have either only O Levels or diplomas are actually doing very well, surpassing their graduate peers, who used to look down on non-graduates. Look at Sim Wong Hoo, our very own Creative's CEO, a Polytechnic holder ! O Level holder, Ronald Susilo's one time win of USD 14,00 is equivalent to an average local graduate's 1 year salary ! And he could even afford to purchase a condominium in expensive Kembangan, but how many 27-year-old graduates can easily afford that without the help from their family members or spouses ?

So, I strongly believe that it is not how many certificates one has but how capable he or she is to do well in life ....