Nowadays, students regard a seat in university as the destination of their studies. They work hard in order to compete for an academic degree. If they failed in entering university, they would be deemed as losers. Having a university degree, however, does not mean they will be successful.
To begin with, as stated in the Education Commissions reform proposals, the HKCEE will be cancelled and the universities opened for more students in the future.
However, university graduates are not as ”valuable” as in the past since they are in abundance.
In reality, it seems that a university degree is a must. Despite graduation, the degree cannot ensure them of a job after their studies. Thus, their dreams of having good prospects may be ruined. They may only get a nauseating job and could hardly be said to be crowned with success. However, the question whether an individual is successful or not is not determined by a piece of paper which is just a peripheral, but personal performance could say it all. A successful life is not only reflected by academic results. More importantly, it depends on the person's personality and maturity.
How the individual behaves is far more important. A good example is Andy Lau, a well-known artist whose academic results were not good and he did not go to a university. But he helps the needy and is a popular singer. Is he triumphant? Of course, yes. There is no point arguing. Furthermore, most people who fend for themselves haven't studied in universities but they have contributed much to the prosperity of our community. We can't neglect these successful people who help so much in developing our society. Although they may be getting old and ailing, they remain the contributive group of people in our community.
When you come across the question “Is a university education essential to success?” again, what will your answer be? Do you still think that a seat in university is the index of a person's success?