What does one do after SPM anyway?

When the invigilator announced the end of my final paper, I heaved a sigh of relief and put down my pen. A few blissful weeks passed after I had completed my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examinations – weeks where I spent half the time hanging out with my friends and the other half basically lazing around.

As time passed, I gradually turned my thoughts to the burning question every post-SPM student eventually asks: “What will I do after this?”

Examine your options.

You don’t really have to pay for those expensive, flashy motivational/ guidance packages. All you need is to be more self-reliant and take the initiative to attend the free education fairs / career talks that are constantly being held. Ask yourself questions, look up informative books or magazines or newspaper articles and do some online research. Personally, an education fair proved to be very informative and certainly provided me with sufficient details, allowing me to actually make decisions. I wandered around the huge education fair aimlessly, accepting every leaflet that was offered to me and filled every single form available requesting for further details of different courses. Different institutions of tertiary education may proffer different information pertaining to the same course, so it would be useful if you ‘did your homework’ and left no leaf unturned.

I didn’t know what I want to do, but I knew what I didn’t want to do, so naturally I eliminated anything that involved Mathematics in excessive amounts, because I hate Math. Nevertheless, I briefly toyed with the idea of doing Engineering before dismissing it due to the fact I’m one of the rare, weird people that likes Physics and detests Maths.

Talking to the lecturers/ counsellors that were sometimes present at the different booths really helped too. Each of them provided useful insight into the course available:

• Required skills
• The course syllabus – how does it prepare you for your future career?
• Available career options upon completion of course.
• What does each career entail – how would your daily life be like?

One will undoubtedly gain a deeper understanding of a particular career in addition to the above points. Ask questions, don’t be afraid! Consider tuition fees, location of academies offering a certain course – there are many things a prospective student of tertiary education needs to ponder about.

Do allocate some time for your investigation. I spent two days wandering about in an education fair. Technically, I had already made up my mind on the first day and the second day was spent doing in-depth research on my chosen career and the course available. It was time well-spent for I may now state my future ambition with unshakeable conviction whereas I never knew what to tell people my ambition was previously due to uncertainty.

Some scholars opt to take Diploma course immediately whereas some would prefer a pre-university course. It is really all up to you and no one can tell you what you should do. Your future is involved, so do open up your eyes and ears, be prepared to embark upon lengthy debates with anyone who is able to provide advice. Make your choice wisely. It will definitely be worth studying your options carefully before making a hasty decision you may regret.