By SIMON CHESTERMANFOR THE STRAITS TIMES

WITH the release of A-level re-sults earlier this month, studentsacross Singapore – and their par-ents – are contemplating the nextstep in their education.

Nearly 30 per cent of the co-hort will go to one of Singapore'sfive autonomous universities, anumber set to grow to 40 per centby 2020. With a further 10 percent expected to pursue part-timedegrees, fully half of Singapore-ans could then receive a govern-ment-subsidised degree educa-tion.

For many, the focus is on“how”: How to get admitted, howto get financial aid, how to getahead.

Given the intense competitionin Singapore's education land-scape, this is understandable.

But an even more importantquestion to consider is “why”.

So why are these thousands ofstudents thinking about going touniversity?

For some, it may be that theirparents told them that they hadto. This is good advice: A universi-ty degree increases earning poten-tial and offers greater options inthe workplace.

Others might never have con-sidered not going to university.This just suggests that their par-ents and teachers were more sub-tle.

But when these students – andtheir parents – do focus on “why”they should go to university, it isoften linked to the question of“what you want to be”.

This is an important questionto ask, but it is misleading be-cause it suggests a single, staticanswer: “I want to be alawyer/investment banker/archi-tect/website designer.”

A better way of thinking aboutthis is to consider not what youwant to do, but whom you wantto be.

Most of those going into univer-sity now will have more than onecareer; many will live in morethan one country. All will face pe-riods of enormous change.

A generation ago, there was noInternet, air travel was muchmore limited – the world seemeda much larger place. Today, glo-balisation has linked people andeconomies. The world is smaller.

And the ability to cross bounda-ries has become more important.

That is true in terms of one’sability to communicate, but it is al-so true in terms of one’s ability tothink.

To survive, to do well in thisglobalised world, one needs to becreative, to think laterally, to bepassionate about things becausethey are part of your identity rath-er than part of your career plan.

Because today’s students can-not know what is going to be im-portant to their career.

A good example of this is thelate Steve Jobs. In 2005, the found-er of Apple gave the commence-ment address at Stanford Universi-ty.

Looking back, the man who rev-olutionised the way we approachtechnology and design reflectedon the most important class thathe had ever taken.

It was calligraphy.At the time, it was just a pas-

sion. He loved the beautiful post-ers on campus and wanted tolearn about serif and san seriftypefaces.

He thought it had no hope ofany practical application. But 10years later, when he was design-ing the first Macintosh computer,it came back to him and he includ-ed what we now call fonts. Thisrevolutionised the way we think

about computers.So it will not always be possi-

ble to predict what subjects willbe important. But if you can findsomething about which you arepassionate, if it is part of youridentity, you may find a way tomake it important.

Wise up to wisdom

IF PASSION is something thatshould guide one when choosing acourse of study going into univer-sity, wisdom is what one shouldhope to gain coming out.

This is not to suggest that onlyuniversity-educated people arewise. To the contrary, there is animportant distinction to be drawnbetween being wise and being clev-er. Universities are good at educat-ing clever people, but wisdom gen-

erally comes from within.An illustration of this can be

found in the story of the old wom-an and the bird.

There are many versions of thisstory across different cultures. Ithas no known author, but the ver-sion here is similar to the oneused by the author Toni Morrisonin her 1993 Nobel Lecture.

Once upon a time there was anold woman. She was blind. Butshe was wise.

Now one could tell a differentversion about an old man, or may-be it was a young girl. Perhaps thebird was in fact a butterfly. But letus stick with this version for themoment.

An old woman. Blind. Wise.One day, some clever young

people decide to visit her.They know that they are clever

and intend to demonstrate this byproving that the old woman is afraud.

She may be blind, they think,but she is not wise. And she is notcleverer than they.

So a young man has broughtwith him a small bird. He holdsthe bird cupped in his hands.

“Old woman,” he says. “In myhands I hold a small bird. Tell me:is it alive or dead?”

The old woman is silent.He repeats his question: “Is the

bird I am holding alive or dead?”And he smiles. Because if she

says it is dead, he will release it –and the flapping of its wings willshow her to be a fool. But if shesays it is alive, he will crush it todeath and drop the carcass in herlap.

Still the old woman says noth-ing. She is silent for such a longtime that some of the young peo-ple begin to laugh.

Finally she speaks.“I don’t know,” she says. “I

don’t know if the bird you areholding is alive or dead. The onlything I know is that it is in yourhands. It is in your hands.”

Responsibility of choice

THE passage to adulthood ismarked by the taking of responsi-bility for one’s life choices.

Why study? Of course studentspreparing for university must con-sider practicalities, such as theability to support themselves andtheir families in the future. Theyshould listen to the advice of theirparents and teachers.

Yet such extrinsic motivation– doing things for external re-wards or to avoid punishment –can inhibit the growth of intrinsicmotivation, where students aredriven by enjoyment of the task it-self.

My hope is that those whohave the luxury of choice will seeit as a responsibility to choosewell. To identify a path that willsustain them by kindling a pas-sion, and to seize the opportuni-ties available in the hope of devel-oping wisdom.

stopinion@sph.com.sgThe writer is the dean of the NationalUniversity of Singapore Faculty of Law.By Invitation features expert views fromopinion leaders in Singapore and theregion.

To survive, to do well in this globalised world, one needs to be creative, to think laterally, to bepassionate about things because they are part of your identity rather than part of your careerplan. Because today's students cannot know what is going to be important to their career.

BYINVITATION

Students considering a university education should ask themselveswhom they want to be, not what they want to be

Apple founder Steve Jobs’ interest in calligraphy as a young man helped himchange the way people think about computers. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Why study?

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