Controversial headliner, I know, but hear me out.
How many of us have been pressured by our families, teachers and friends to choose the Science stream when we were 15, in high school? To get us to choose this ‘more prestigious’ stream where only ‘smart students’ get in, we're told that this stream will ensure that your future is bright and that it makes you a lot of money in the future. As compared to this, the art stream students are placed on second priority and looked down on by the school, simply because they didn't want to pursue something that was normalised for smart students.
There have been many worries lately about the recent and ongoing decline of Science stream students in the country, as well as the overall reduction of interest in STEM subjects. As a person that went completed my pure Science stream studies through SPM, got straight As, got a degree in sciences and then chose to never use my degree knowledge again, I would be honest and share that Science stream is not what they said it would look like. Unless you're a super big fan of science and really enjoy learning about it through late hours, multiple vivas and the stress of funding, then Science is not for you.
Students who chose the Science stream are goaded by the possibility of being rich and successful in the future, as they had been naively convinced by their teachers and families that science is the future. With this in mind, students spend hours and hours studying the difficult science subjects, some even just aiming to pass with all those hours. This becomes the sole motivation for them to succeed - to not let their families down, and to be successful. It is unfortunate that when they grow older and more mature, this is how the job market looks like for students with a major in Science - an oversaturated market filled with graduates with the same dream, long hours in the workplace as some specialisations work around the clock, and more often than not, below average pay that doesn't match the number of hours you put in.
Many of my university peers have decided to continue pursuing their higher education after graduating, which is another viable pathway for those who aspire to be lecturers, or do research. While it is viable, there's the added cost of tuition fees to study your Masters or PhD, and sometimes unclear pathways after that. Most people I know who decided to stay in Science, often survive on their love of science alone - choosing to go through the rough hours, minimal wage and lack of career growth, because they just love science so much. In short, Science stream for a 16-year-old is just an incredibly tough journey, with a result that's not really worth the time and struggles, at least for me. If I had a choice to re-live my SPM years again, I would choose not to. It's not surprising that many are moving away from the stream with the advancement of technology these days, where they can gain information and experience sharing from seniors in the industry.
Crystal Chai is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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