I went to see my new boss at Mad Science yesterday to discuss my work details and of course, to sign my contract. He was really good at explaining all the details and really does seem like a nice and easy going guy to work with. Spent aboout a couple of hours at the office just taking in all the details and asking all sorts of questions about the job. There also happened to be a birthday party going on later that where another Mad Science instructor was doing a show for the kids, so my boss asked me if I was interested in going along to looksee and get an idea of how things were done there. I said ok, and it turned out to be pretty much as interesting and fun as I expected. Everytime the 'mad scientist' did something fascinating all the kids would go "Oooooh!" and "Waaaah!". So cute. :Þ I ended up helping out a bit when it came to giving them slime to play with, as I had to help some kids mix the slime up properly to a nice texture. Trust me, it's as gross as it sounds, and I got my hands very slimified!
I didn't stay until the end of the party though, as I had to meet my parents, my bro and sister-in-law and my uncle and aunt for a Father's Day dinner at Asia Cafe. My parents already know about my my job, and thank God they are pretty ok with it, but I was pretty hesitant about telling my other relatives about it coz' I was expecting negative reactions. My eldest bro and uncle aren't exactly known for mild-temperaments or tactfulness too, so even though I kinda wanted to tell them about my new job, I just pretty much avoided it. I did, however, tell my sis-in-law while everyone else was off ordering food, and then later on, she nicely went and announced to my bro that I was starting work on Monday. And of course, that got the ball rolling and everyone was asking me about my new job. And as I expected, when I explained it them, I got negative reactions from my uncle and bro. My bro just gave me a funny look like I'm nuts and when he asked whether the job actually requires a person with a degree and I said no, he just rolled his eyes or something (although I am getting paid pretty high because of my degree, but he didn't bother to register that detail). My uncle started going on and on about how I need to get a job related to my field of study because if I continue during something unrelated, later on if I want to continue on with research or work in my field of study, I can't. Which is true, but the thing he didn't quite care to hear was that I'm not really that interested in research or work in my particularly field as compared to the job I have now. And I can learn other skills in this job that can help me to apply for other jobs in the future, like business skills. But when I told him that, he just retorted that I should've just learned business then. Man, I think steam was really coming out of my head at that point, and I just gave up trying to explain my point of view to him coz' he just wasn't going to listen anyway.
The way I see it, just because I have a degree (or two degrees, in my case) in a certain field does not mean I can ONLY work in that field and nothing else. I mean, my second bro in the US studied electrical engineering and even got a masters in it. But now, he's working in the IT field, and making good money for it! Nobody ever got on his case about not becoming as engineer. And I know other people who get their degrees and end up doing work that can be completely unrelated, like one girl I know who did Biotech and ended up working in logistics. Sure, if everyone were to do the same thing as do work completely unrelated to their studies, then some people would argue that they wasted their time in uni studying and getting their degrees.... which may be true if a degree holder decides to do work in which he/she is paid grossly less than what they would get if they had gone into a field they were qualified for. I mean, what's the point of paying through your nose (or your parent's nose) for a degree if all you wanna be is a lorry driver or something silly thing like that? But if they are still getting paid the same in some a different field as if they were in their field, as is the case for me, then what is the problem? And uni certainly wasn't a waste of time for me. If I hadn't gotten my degrees, I definitely wouldn't be starting off with the salary of a fresh graduate.
The way I see it, most students go to uni just because their parents have drilled it into their heads that they need to go to uni, study hard, and get good results so that they can get good jobs and get good money. Most students have no idea what they want in life. Maybe a few will be certain early on of what they want to be when they 'grow up', but for the most part, young people just do what they 'think' they are interested in, or are 'coerced' into doing what their parents want them to study. The ultimate goal is, get good job and make good money. If they succeed, everyone oughtta happy. I got a good job, and I will be making pretty good money, and potentially more money if I do really well. I will also be learning some other skills that would be helpful to me in the future, and I think I would be much better at than if I got stuck in a job related to my field, being bored out of my mind in a research lab everyday (and probably taking forveer to move up the career ladder). Plus, I'm probably gonna love my job, which is something not many fresh graduates thrown out into the working work for the first time can say. And I have opportunities for quick promotions coz' it's a small but expanding company with plenty of potential. So I really don't see why my uncle has to get on my case. But anyway, I'm happy that at least my parents support me, and even my mum stood up for me and told them to 'shut up' with the criticisms. Yay for mum! :D
Of course, there are issues a plenty to debate, but right now I haven't got the time coz' I need to get to bed. Tomorrow is my first day at work! :D
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