By Ivy Chong

My internship with FMT for the past four months made me rethink university education, and if not for my parents who paid for fees, I would have quit college altogether.

I have always believed that a degree is important to be able to succeed in life. At least this is what we are taught since young.

When I was younger, mum always told me, “You must get a degree to get a good job”. It’s a sentence that still echoes in my ears now and then.

Fast forward today, I have come to conclude that the university should not determine your future career path.

A university degree does not guarantee a career. In contrast, internship, or industrial training, gives you hands-on experience in your future career, something that many universities today lack.

So getting a piece of paper that is worth about RM40,000 in fees, means nothing. It really does not.

Graduating from a university does not mean you have the skills needed for a successful career path.

The fact is, some of the most successful people in the world did not have a college degree, others are college dropouts, such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

The point is this: without skills or hard work, one will go nowhere in life, even with a college degree.

Many people I know are successful although they are not highly educated. They work hard, they thrive in their business, they earn more than those with degrees and doctorates.

No doubt, students are taught the fundamentals of the courses they choose.

As a student of journalism, I find that what I learned at the university is just some basic stuff, with the most common one 5W 1H.

The rest of the syllabus is about theories. Of course, it gives us an understanding of what the world is like, but still, it does not teach you how the industry works.

At the start of my internship, it was a whole new experience for me. Going out on an assignment, trying to write the report as quick as I can, interacting with people, building contacts. Not to mention scouring the internet for news.

None of the above was taught at the university. Here, every day is new and exciting.

Many times, I toyed with the idea of ditching my degree and continue working as a journalist. The alternative being going back to the quiet corner in Perak, where the buffaloes roamed freely within the university campus.

Had I known, I would have chosen a course that enhances skills, and not one which follows the same routine of attending class, studying, submiting assignments, preparing for the finals, all for the sake of passing the paper.

In the end, you forget what you have studied, and then you get a degree.

I am not against tertiary education. But it must strike a balance between skills and theories, before a degree is earned.

Ivy Chong is an intern at FMT.

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.