it is in times like this that i think....

A very interesting discussion popped up at our dinner table on Eid. Actually very interesting is the word.
My uncle who is a sweet creature is also conservative and rather tapered in his thinking, something that I discovered only recently. He mentioned a friend’s son who after spending four years at Oxford studying engineering now wanted to switch to philosophy. Kudos to such men. He mentioned this incident with such distaste and horror that I almost laughed out loud. He also stated how the boy had wasted money, time and a person’s seat. LOL. When people in the twenty first century talk like this, you really wonder if they’re in the same time frame.
Anyway, his words gave way to a very amusing battle at the dinner table. He verses all of us. My younger uncle, who is the cool one, also sided with us.

Me: so what chacho, education is never a waste. He’s going to be a better and wiser man, more educated and intellectual. This will give him more perspective on life because he will have studied two very different approaches to a career. And sometimes, it takes you all that time to realize what you were studying wasn’t right for you.

Him: this also shows his careless attitude. Rather, the fact that he wasn’t focused. His father spent so much money on his education.

Me: there’s a good chance, he’ll get a scholarship for his philosophy degree because he’s from Oxford.

Cool chacho: of course. It is not criminal to not want to pursue your degree. One has a choice to practice what he has studied or not. It is entirely up to him. I think its ok.

Mum: yeah, actually that’s true. A lot of people do that.

This continued for a while until it was time to get up and wash our hands. That day I discovered what people think about education and career. If a math grad student of Canada opts to teach at an A-level school, she is considered foolish. People think her six intensive years and the large amount of money invested in her education was a wrong idea. In her defense, she claims she has a small child who needs her and school job is the right thing to do at the moment. What people fail to understand is how well a mother she will be to her children. Her intellect and knowledge will be instilled in her children. I believe women in our society should work and make something out of their life. But what I suggest more strongly is that they educate themselves. My friends fight with me that they don’t need to go for their masters because their husbands won’t allow them to work. It really doesn’t matter. Your MS or MBA might be useful later. Education is never ever a waste. Life is short and unexpected. You don’t know what is going to happen and what if someday you realize that you have to work. Your education will be your strongest tool to help you rise. The value of good education can never be understated. It is what either holds us back or pulls us through!