Cambodia High School Dropout Experience
2017-05-19 09:40:42.383156
I want to share with you my thoughts about high school in Cambodia.
Sometimes one of the most difficult things to do in life is to make good decisions. I don’t mean about buying a new car or smartphone, but about making decisions about what to do for the future.
The idea of finishing high school is important for many young people, but not for me. What I believe is more important than attending high school today, is education itself.
Do you believe the high school experience in Cambodia today provides a good education for students? Or do you feel as I do, that in reality, schools often brainwash students to all think and act alike.
If you are fortunate to be able to study at a good school, then please finish high school and graduate! But as for me, my situation is different, and here is my story.
I began to learn computer programming at 13, and three years later found work with the technology development team at Smallworld in Phnom Penh. With the Smallworld team, I began to learn with adults, and now many of my friends are older and more mature. At work, I learn about business, technology and how to think for success.
Now I am beginning to realize that I learn little of value at my high school. Where I attend school, students play, scream and shout, and many adults play video games. I find it difficult to study there, and talking with these people gives no benefits at all. Our high school system is bad, and so why should I continue to go there?
Schools today train their student to be good employees and to follows orders. Creativity and individuality are not encouraged, and the system always expects you to follow along. I don’t want to follow along with this crowd, but would rather enjoy a creative and independent life.
Students today attend school to get a piece of paper, and not a quality education. The value of your education is not about having a certificate or diploma. I don’t worry about having a certificate, because I depend on myself for my future success. I don’t want to work for a boss because I want to be my own boss.
A certificate is not important to me, so not having one is not an issue for me. Do you believe you will be poor and unemployed if you have no certificate? Let's think about this more deeply.
If you owned a company, would you hire someone with no skills and a certificate? Or would you hire someone who has skills and no certificate?
You can find a good education everywhere, and not just in school. Using the internet, you can educate yourself without attending classes, because that's what I do right now.
I want to dropout of high school for all of the above reasons. On my own, I can spend more time programming, which is my natural talent. I feel my approach is better than those students who are trapped in a bad and outdated educational system. Schools today will only brainwash you to become something you should naturally not be otherwise.
Lov Hong Thakvika
(English edited by C. D. Bella)
May 18, 2017, Phnom Penh, Cambodia