In a glorious age not so long ago, the worth of Man was not ascertained by, or limited to the number of degrees he had. Sadly, the population boom, stagnating job growth in the recession and rising competition have significantly reduced the value of higher education and hence, of Man himself. For instance, twenty years ago, a Bachelors in Business Administration was an honor; today, on its own, it counts for nothing.
Naturally, the course of action chosen by most BBAs is to add fancy three-letter degrees to their extensive CVs. While some tread the waters to become FRMs (Financial Risk Managers), others struggle to be converted into CFAs (Chartered Financial Analysts). Still others, the rather ambitious ones, gravitate towards the heavy-duty stuff: Chartered Accountancy and Actuarial Sciences. Ironically, as more and more people set sights on these degrees, the degrees start becoming redundant.
Undeniably though, the need to shine has become eminent. For Sameer, entering the corporate world via his internships was an eye-opening (read: earth shattering) experience. What Sameer realized is that there will always be someone a step ahead. So what do you do? Chase the shadows of those in the lead, hoping to catch up to them? Or lag behind and find contentment in being just a fraction of the person you can be?
Sameer thinks the correct answer is that you do neither. The real challenge is figuring out that one thing that you do best; that one thing where people would be willing to chase your shadows. It could be avionics for one person, landscape horticulture for another or, strumming a five string bass guitar for a third.
Sameer understands that whilst his friends in colleges abroad could secure jobs at JP Morgan Chase and the likes, he could not possibly hope to replicate their success without years of further studies. Therefore, with hordes of other students, he automatically registered himself for the CFA program. Still on the precipice of discovering his true calling, he believes the CFA exam in December will help him understand his core strengths. There is just one problem though.
Laffer Curve? IFRS? Exchange-traded Funds? Swap Contracts? Oh oh.
CFA curriculum is very taxing.
I agree with Sameer, only by feeding one's unique and individual talents can one truly unleash his or her true potential. If we blindly do what everyone else is doing then we're just acting like sheep, and the thing to realize is that there's no end to this rat-race. No matter how many hurdles we cross, we end up setting new goals for ourselves each time. The key is to learn to take the right steps at the right time, and more importantly, to know when enough is enough. Contrary to popular opinion, I believe that there is such a thing as too many qualifications. Ambition is a good thing,being over-ambitious is not.
ReplyDeleteOh, and a word to the wise. Actuarial Science only seems exotic from afar. As soon as u get close to it, the illusion shatters :P
ReplyDeleteIndeed education has become more of a rat-race than anything else. Few of us focus on the learning aspect these days.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are highly appreciated...specially by those who are too scared to consider Actuarial Sciences!