Why do Singaporeans associate career, status, education (paper qualification) as a benchmark of a successful individual?
50 points 0votes 2/01/2007 12:14:40 PM by sultana whiz Post ReplyThat's because Singapore has always been a rat-race society. You have to run,run,run and win,win,win. There's no such thing as second best.
Since young, you were taught that the smarter you are and if you go to college or even better university, you are more valuable. You are more important .A lot of Singaporean parents use education as scale system for their children.
The smarter you are, the more chances you have of making money when you grow up.Though it may not be true for all Singaporeans, most I believe use money and paper qualifications as a means of self-validation and seeking approval from their peers.
yes you are right. paper validation and a good career are a form of validation and that has money value. have we been brainwash by the colonial powers that it is how the world works?
thats interesting.. one could go as far as to say this phenomenon is prevalent in most ex-colonized nations. even other nations probably have it but maybe not to a degree such as in Singapore.
what nations have you seen this not to be case? if any?
and i would also like to draw a correlation between a 'successful' individual and the likelihood of he or she having achieved some *recognition* via career, status or education (paper qualification)..
is it possible for us to perceive someone as successful in any other ways?
some ways i can think of are :
* good family member.. mum, dad, wife, hubby etc.
* social & community service, helping others
* business owners, again with elements of the above 2
these other ways could also possible come with a 'status' as people take notice, but i guess modest and humble folks wouldn't be overly motivated for peer acceptance.
just my 2c (:
singaporean are just kiasu and they are material driven. they dont hink out of the box, so confined to a constrain way of thinkin
0votes 31/01/2007 10:12:32 AM by thingi fresh
Kiasu: Afraid of "losing out" to other people. its in Hokkien (language)
its a very famous description of singaporean mentality. its like they need to have everything and anything the other people are having.
http://www.talkingcock.com/htm...
http://www.med.nus.edu.sg/pcm/...
Singporeans are definitely kiasu...everything oso must have,one...hehe. Like it applies a lot when it comes to sales and all you can eat buffet places, but on the bright side of it, it pushes and drives them to work hard whatever the motivation is.
0votes 6/02/2007 5:07:34 AM by foonoosh rookie
ok, does anyone else have more input on this?
I totally agree, but my mum didnt actually push me to study, study ,study.. she was more of a person who tell me once and thats it. I didnt go to University, just plain old Polytechnic Diploma, and look at me today, I end up working for a dutch company in holland.
Although paper qualifications helps, but it is not everything, you need to use common sense, and also PR and Marketing yourself helps to put yourself in a better level/position. And also you need a little luck and doa to help you all the way to success.
I guess Singaporean are very shallow, indeed!
If you do not carry a well priced labelled bag, you are not in the game, unlike living in holland, you dont see people flagging their wealth around! Thats better that way...
Singapore is basically a material society!
5 Cs a must to have, if you dont........ you are doomed!
OMG i totally forgot abt the 5Cs! lol! havent heard tt term since i've been away from singapore the past few years. ppl are so driven to attain that paper qualification that it only makes them book smart instead of work and street smart. i have an uncle who didnt even complete his poly diploma cos he preferred to have fun more. but because he is a hard worker and is street smart, he has gained so much experience from the great jobs he has held and is earning sooooo much more than a graduate's pay.
0votes 22/02/2007 8:18:39 PM by masalle rookie
Yea the 5Cs. in case other people do not know what the 5Cs are..(coz i'm sure there are none singaporean here on this website, let me explain)
u need to have these basic things in singapore to be seen as successful.
1.Cash
2. Car
3.Condominium (housing)
4. Career
5.Credit cards
i think that's about right. correct me if im wrong.
Material society it is definately it.
but what im actually looking for is
Question:
What happened that made us this way?
Why and how did this mentality came about?
i mean..singapore use to be a 'kampung', nice laid back lifestyle. which doesn't mean that if you are laid back you are not striving to be a better and successful person.
but after the turn of the century, the people of singapore who originated from that simple lifestyle have drastically change! Even among the malays. (sorry guys, luv ya all ;)
People buy new stuff and show it off. from their kids education to the interior of your house..and the list goes on. (knowing that we wont bring this things to our grave)
btw guys you have to watch this, u will crack up.
http://www.happeepill.com/cart...
ive posted this link as well under :
site support >>Funny links.
its free to post links there.
Enjoy
Singaporeans lack of being streetwise , we develop instincts and intuition at a very late age. whereas, in America , they go out to explore once they hit the age of 18. We Singaporeans are 18 and are still sheltered at home studying for papers. Its not quite right. Yes , we lack of resources and manpower. But we lack of being streetwise when it comes to situation. learning is the key to success.
0votes 19/12/2008 6:42:26 PM by doomsday rookieAre you sure you wish to stop receiving email alerts for this Question?
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