Was talking to a senior from another era yesterday, he is probably in his late 50s and had studied in Japan too. We were talking about how attractive Japan could appear to pre-undergrad students as a choice for overseas studies. We just concluded that people like us, are like an unwanted child in the Civil Service.
It is rather insane to spend a year to do language and then spend 4 years to get an honours when others can get a Masters in the States or UK within 4 years. Time is important because age 32 is the age when one is confirmed to enter the Admin Service and an extra year to prove one's worth is probably important. Well, in our system, our potential is assessed early and by 32, we can't really alter the eventual grade/position that we can get by the time we retire if we choose to stay in the Civil Service.
Perhaps, the decision was made the moment I accepted and to study in a non-English-Speaking country. Try as we may to encourage diversity and creativity, the top echelon of our Civil Servants still frown upon things that are not mainstream (surely mainstream will equate to US or UK).
Most of these top Civil Servants will agree that it is a cruel and flawed system, but they have no impetus to make any amendments to the system that had shown they're the successful candidates to the top jobs.
And frankly speaking, for an 18-year-old, we don't think this much when we sign on the dotted line to get that few years of overseas experience, except the kids of these top people who'll be acclimatising their children to the actual Civil Service.
I'm not complaining because I made my decision and I had enjoyed my experience overseas. Just as I had given up on the chance to climb the corporate leader of the Civil Service, I had opened doors to Japanese firms. Not to be disrespectful but I may actually have gotten a better deal since Singapore is still so small and vulnerable in the global setting that I'd rather be free from the system.
We can't directly compete with the system. Choosing between a different living experience and the Civil Service, it is really up to an individual to decide. Who knows, mine was decided when I repeated in Primary Four. Nevertheless, the Public Service had been kind and generous to me.
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