The obsession with staying on track is holding Singapore students back

The mindset towards education as a set of neat milestones needs to change.

- Kenneth Goh

I have taught many students, but when I think about what it means to prepare for the future, one student let's call him “J” stands out.

J was an average student with unremarkable grades, yet on graduation, he was hired as regional head of a renowned e-commerce platform.

He stood out to me because of the unconventional path he took. Unlike most students fixated on getting straight As or “internship maxxing” - stacking up as many internships as possible to stand out to potential employers - J built a cosmetics e-commerce venture while still at university.

J was focused on growing his venture, and even took a leave of absence to work on it. He turned it into a seven-figure business before selling his shares to his partners before graduation.

While academics were important, he was not obsessed by them. He still had a keen mind, as evident from our many conversations, but unlike many of his peers, who view university as a means to build an impressive resume for their job applications, I took courses that were relevant to his business.

Our conversations were rarely about exams or grades, but about the real-world challenges he faced as a young entrepreneur: managing staff and customers, coordinating supply chains, marketing his business, building trust with partners and making decisions amid uncertainty.

While many of his peers were modelling themselves after seniors - replicating their internships, clubs and leadership roles - J was charting his own path, experimenting, learning and building something of his own rather than copying someone else's playbook.