What Do You Wanna Do After Graduating?
ft. Professor Toh Harnniann
“What should I do after graduating…?”
“At the moment when I step out of the campus, should I step foot into the career field directly?”
“What would success look like after graduating?”
“Should I choose a stable career, or should I pursue my dreams…?”
Upon all the questions above, it seemed that the easiest solution was to ask someone who is more experienced.
Host: Mr Toh Harnniann
Occupation: Lawyer
“I have an unrealistic thought – I can’t make you stop scrolling Facebook to read real books, but I can make you feel like reading books while scrolling through Facebook.”
Mr Toh is a professional lawyer, and because of his occupation he meets tons of scenes that he once thought can be only seen in dramas. As a writer who loves to share, he shares multiples stories about marriage, love, family relationship, dreams, etc on his Facebook page, 杜韩念.
In the current era where people are always facing their phones, Mr Toh insists on writing while sharing real stories from his readers, in order to let his online audiences feel the cruelty, fun and fascination of the real world.
This not only gave his readers to have their feelings expressed anonymously, but also gave a platform for his audiences to see something that they don’t usually feel in their peaceful lives.
18 August 2020 on VOOV Meeting, we gathered around like a family with our host Mr Toh, and talked about what we would like to do after graduating.
He pointed out a lot of life changing key points, with categories that include relationships with parents, choice of occupation, dreams vs reality etc.
Q: Do you suggest bachelor holders to continue study for masters? Or is occupation more important when compared to higher education?
If you are financially prepared and studying for higher levels will not cause more burden for your parents, of course you can go for it. However, most of the time when you work in society on your own you will learn more things that cannot be learnt from textbooks, I would say occupation is just another start of the learning process.
Q: What do you think about working for a completely different occupation from your degree? Because I am planning to do so but I am afraid that my resume will not allow me to join this company…
I think it depends on what occupation are you trying to apply. Some occupations require a stronger knowledge base; some even requires you to earn a license permit. I think you can try consider more before making a decision.
Q: Most of the graduates from university have only very little salary, if one wishes to have a family with his partner, have a car and house 5 to 6 years after graduating, but is too financially stressed, what advice will you give to him?
I think having a new family, buying a car and even a house should be something inside your plan, and should be a decision made after you have experience long and much enough in your life. I don’t wish anyone to be emotionally kidnapped by the stereotype of marrying in a certain period of life, where people very commonly claim that it is “much more suitable”, I think as long as one is not prepared enough yet, one should not make such promises and decisions easily, these are after all things that will decide your whole life.
We have received multiple positive feedback after the talk has ended:
“We need more courage to try more, and less fear of failing!”
“Mr Toh has given a lot of keypoints that are straightforward and life-changing.”
“It is such a rare opportunity to be able to communicate with people that have rich life experience like Mr Toh, I am so grateful for this opportunity!”
“Too often, that most of the ideas that Mr Toh pointed out today are things that we already knew, but need to be reminded again and again by somebody else to be able to understand it once again. I guess one of the most important things that I learned today is that ‘One has to be humbler, because the humbler one is, the more knowledge he is able to gain’.”
We, like a family, under the guitar strokes of Mr Toh, share our own stories from the past, and our anticipation for the future.
We listen to what he says, and keep his words in our mind, like a lamppost in the darkness of life.
“Maybe you are wandering for a little at this moment, but that is okay,
Because only with a little wandering, one can only be able to grow into someone he wishes.”
– MSAS, 22 Aug 2020
FOLLOW US ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
WECHAT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT
msashanghai
(Scan in WeChat to follow)