Question 3 - Academic qualification does not guarantee a successful life.

Nowadays, it is undeniable that too much emphasis is put on academic

qualifications. It is said to be the sole determiner of success in life. As such, students
stressing over making the grade is a common phenomenon. Most of them view
academic success as a matter of life and death. In Malaysia, jobs with high salaries
are secured by only those who achieve well in their academic performances.
However, does education qualification really guarantee a successful life? Is it only
those who passed their exams with flying colours can lead a successful and
meaningful life? In my point of view, academic qualification may be vital in society but
it does not ensure success in life. Without academic excellence, we can still climb the
ladder of success. Undoubtedly, success in life is a dream for every person in this
world. However, every person has his own vision of success in life. Different person
see their lives in different way. Generally, success is an accomplishment of an aim or
purpose. If one accomplishes his dream of life, he is successful. Besides, success is
not just about being successful in one’s career, but also being able to enjoy and
happy in all aspects of life. To me, a successful life must be full of happiness and joy.
If academic qualification means having a degree from a university, and a successful
life is where a person is able to get whatever he desires and be happy with it, then
there are other elements in life that helps in making life a success. Hence, academic
qualification is not the only factor that makes one’s life a success.

There is no doubt that academic qualification helps one to get good career.
However, it does not ensure a successful life. Success cannot only be measured by
academic qualification as the skill and the ability of a person should be considered as
well. Graduates without having skills would not go far. It is obvious that during the
last decade, academic qualification does not guarantee jobs for graduates. Many of
them are jobless even though they are academically excellent. Why is it happens?
This is because most of the graduates are not sociable or do not have specific skills
required by the companies. For instance, social skills, language skills and computer
skills. Undoubtedly, companies generally employ graduates who have good
communication skills and are able to mingle around with people. It is not guaranteed
that an individual with the most A’s or perfect grades will get a job as some
employers may employ workers based on their skills. This is because academic
qualification is solely based on one’s performance in their respective schools,
colleges or universities. It is not based on what they are yet to execute in the working
environment. Hence, skills are far more important in determining a successful life in
the future.

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 Donald J. Trump, an American successful entrepreneur, who became host of
TV show called “The Apprentice” did an experiment in his show where team
members of high education fight with team members of less formal education. He
found that the key of success is experience. According to Mahatma Gandhi,
“Knowledge gained through experience is far superior and many times more useful
than bookish knowledge.” Hence, those who have high academic qualifications but
do not have experience at all will not be selected by the company. Graduates without
work experience normally will be left out. It is a debate what matters most when it
comes to getting a job in a tight economy. Is it experience or education that will help
you grow in your career and make a decent living? Studies show that graduates with
work experience are more likely to get employed compared to those that do not.
Although employers want their employees to be educated, many of them, in a variety
of fields, still feel that work experience is the most important thing compared to
academic qualifications. They want employees to understand how the world works
and have some specific skills. Hence, the more experience one can get before
applying for his full-time job, the better chance he stands. It is truly a golden
opportunity for one to gain useful skills and experience working with a range of
people from different backgrounds. Hence, academic qualification does not
guarantee a successful life.

Furthermore, there are also some people without academic excellence

succeed in their lives too. For example, the world’s wealthiest man, Bill Gates is a
person who dropped out from Harvard University to take that one step further in his
life by working hard to achieve his vision in his famous computer software, Microsoft.
Another person is Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of the famous social network called
Facebook. Both of them succeed without having excellent academic qualification. It is
the willpower that makes their lives a success. We are bound to be successful if we
really work hard. If we are persistent in achieving our goals, we will undeniably be
victorious in our future. This does not matter whether we have a good academic
qualification or not as not all people with great educational background turned out
successful. For instance, the life of late Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya was poor before she
built the empire of her own cosmetics company and became a millionaire. From here,
we know the importance of determination. Through sheer determination and the urge
to succeed, people are bound to be successful. Hence, graduates who excel in
academics but lack of sheer determination are not able to succeed in life.

Academic qualifications have not proved to be successful in restraining

people from becoming drunkards, warmongers and robbers. True success should be

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measured by the moral courage of a person to speak against injustice and atrocities,
generosity towards poor and respect for parents. It is sad to say that these
characteristics can be found in people from all types of social and educational
backgrounds but are often missing in persons with high academic qualifications. As
an educated person, we should know the importance of moral values. Moral values
should always outweigh or override academic qualifications. Laurence Sterne once
said “Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our
manners”. Hence, we should respect others especially the elderly. Imagine a person
who is highly educated abandoned his parents in old folks home. Do you think he can
lead a successful life? I am sure no. To become a successful graduates, we should
instil moral values which act as guiding principles and respect our parents. Only then,
we can lead a successful and meaningful life.

All in all, excellence in academic alone does not guarantee a successful life.
Graduates without the extra qualities like specific skills, work experience,
determination and moral values will be left out, proving that academic excellence is
not the license for a successful life.