At age 17, when most of his classmates were gearing up for the big A-Level examinations, Jeshua Soh chose to drop out of school. Because he had been enrolled in Hwa Chong Institution’s Integrated Programme—a six-year course which skips the O/N-Level examinations to prepare students directly for the A-Levels—he had only the PSLE certificate he had gotten at age 12 to his name. We sat him down to find out what happened next.
“I believe that it has helped me, ironically, to see the importance of learning.”Q: Hi again, Jeshua! Can you introduce yourself to those who haven’t read you before—share where you’re from and why you wanted to drop out of school?
A: I’m a filmmaker by training and an accidental entrepreneur who has started 3 companies and 1 Facebook channel to date. Examinations have never been a big focus for me, having entered Hwa Chong Institution’s (HCI) Integrated Programme (IP) through the Direct School Admission route after primary school, and skipping O/N-Levels as a result. At the age of 17, I chose to drop out of Year 5 in HCI to read Film, Sound & Video in Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s School of Film and Media Studies. At Ngee Ann Polytechnic, we were assessed based on project work and not examinations, owing to the nature of our course being practical and team-based.
How does Singapore, your home country, view school dropouts? What were you taught to think of it as a child, and how did you feel about it then?
Dropouts are one of many kinds of people who break from the conventional ‘path’. In my case, it was a voluntary action, and I appreciate that I had done so having weighed both options (of completing IP and of studying film). I feel that many people in Singapore are conditioned through their growing up environment and societal structures to stick to a well-trodden path, and hence dropouts may be viewed as unconventional at best, or crazy, at worst.
How then did you manage to drop out of school? Can you share your entire process and also how you figured that process out?
Dropping out of HCI was actually pretty simple: I just had to walk into the general office and meet the vice principal, sign a form, pay the remaining school fees and I was out. As for securing a place in Ngee Ann Polytechnic without an O-Level certificate, I needed to apply under a direct admission exercise and sit for an interview before being offered a place.
What did your parents think of your decision? What about your teachers and classmates?
Initially, there was the usual and warranted concern, but I am glad that my parents became supportive of my decision to pursue an education and career in media/entrepreneurship as time went along. The teachers and classmates who I’ve kept in contact with are also happy for me, and I hope that those who I’ve not spoken to in years will feel the same way 😛
What was your routine like before you dropped out of school? What did you do on weekdays and what did you do on weekends?
I was going to school/CCA [co-curricular activities] and church on weekends. It was actually at the age of 9 that I started volunteering in my church’s media team and gaining exposure to different aspects of audio/video/live production. I joined the media club during secondary school and a lot of CCA’s during my 3-month stint in JC [Junior College; the later segment of HCI’s Integrated Programme] (as I was already quite sure I wasn’t staying for long).
What about after you dropped out of school? How did your routine change?
There was no longer a big A-Level examination to look forward to, and classes in polytechnic were much shorter, though much more time and emphasis would be spent on project work/assignments. I had the opportunity to go overseas 6 times as part of my 3-year curriculum and couldn’t have asked for a better course to study in (not sponsored by NP to say this!) because of the teachers, curriculum and amazing people whom I met along the way.
Which 3 objects or people were most useful to you right after you dropped out of school?
Camera, Laptop & EZ-Link card? I didn’t start using a smartphone until late 2015, when I enlisted into NS [National Service], so my MacBook Pro was what got me around the assignments/projects that we had to do. My camera was useful as I took on freelance jobs doing corporate videos, weddings and also joined the photography club in NP [Ngee Ann Polytechnic]. Lastly, the EZ-Link card was a good way to get around Singapore in pre-Grab/Uber days!
Which place in Singapore was most useful?
School and ‘virtual school’ (i.e. the internet) was and still is useful for learning and picking up many interesting skills and knowledge. Post dropping out, I was still immensely interested in current affairs, economics and philosophy, and decided to continue pursuing some of these interests outside of my polytechnic. I would also remember what one lecturer advised me: about how film is just a medium and knowing more about the world we live in is key to the stories that we can tell through this medium—hence continual learning from different sources is something that I believe has played a big role in making me who I am today.
What were the biggest obstacles you faced when trying to drop out of school in Singapore, and after you dropped out of school, and how did you overcome them?
I believe the biggest obstacle was perceived risk—this was contributed by society, family and myself, that I had come so far only to drop out with just a PSLE [Primary School Leaving Examination] certificate, and if I didn’t do well for polytechnic—where would I go/what will I do? Perhaps this is also the reason why I often argue that people see that they have too much to lose, instead of too much to give. When we change our frame of mind/perspective, to question the possible outcomes of giving our best shot at something, instead of remaining in a worried/paranoid state of mind, I believe that one opens him/herself to much more opportunities!
Now that you’ve done it, would you recommend dropping out of school in Singapore?
Don’t drop out of school for the sake of doing so. But if you’re able to learn outside of the structured environment, and are looking to take advantage of a unique opportunity that may not present itself to you again, consider it carefully. Talk to some friends and family, perhaps even folks from the area that you’re looking to step into, but don’t be overly swayed by any group because as I mentioned earlier, chances are that you will be called unconventional, or even crazy. There is certainly a risk/opportunity cost in every decision you have to make.
What have you learned from having dropped out of school that you didn’t know before? How have you changed as a person since?
I didn’t know that people would one day be asking me this question. I guess I didn’t really think that it was any big achievement/something to be proud of 9 years back, but today I believe that it has helped me, ironically, to see the importance of learning—whether in or out of the education system. In my work overseas in Myanmar, I constantly advocate a mindset of continuous learning and discovery and for students to give their best in the environment they are currently in.
What advice do you have for those who hope to drop out of school too?
If you’ve already carefully considered this decision and consulted your various circles of friends/families as recommended above, the advice I would have is to own the decision (if you had a choice) and make the best use of your time, energy and resources in the new path you’re choosing to take without looking back. If you don’t have a choice, work hard and smart during your next phase in life (be it another educational institution/working life) so that you may have more choices and opportunities in time to come.
What’s the worst advice you’ve been given, or have heard people giving, with regards to dropping out of school? And what’s the best?
The worst advice someone has given me is that without a university degree, you can’t do much in Singapore. I must admit that that is true for certain professions such as doctors/lawyers, but, at least for what I’m doing, I don’t feel like I’ve been hindered by not having that piece of paper.
What other bold things would you try to do next and who can LUCK-IT interview to give you some tips on how you can achieve those?
I will like to cycle from Singapore to Thailand perhaps? Probably only hard work and training can help in achieving that… but perhaps someone who has done so before and can share his/her experience of doing so and the possible pitfalls to avoid, or nuggets of wisdom [attained] while attempting such a long ride.
Lastly, what would you be teaching your kids, or the kids around you, about school and academic qualifications?
Academic qualifications are important to some but not all, and school should be taken seriously because not everyone has an opportunity to go to school. At the end of the day though, neither should be worshipped as they are a means to an end—learning and a never-say-die attitude is more important.
Jeshua is presently a 24-year-old entrepreneur/film-maker who’s been going around the world to introduce the services of his businesses while continuing his own learning journey. He does not have a bucket list but believes that the world is his classroom and Singapore, his homeland. You can spot him at JRC.sg‘s City Hall collection point in Singapore or the Crossworks office in Bahan Township in Myanmar, or just get his advice on quitting school through the comment box below.
He also wants to say: “I have recently taken an interest in flood prevention in Myanmar and released two videos (here and here) thus far, concerning the problem and causes of the yearly floods. This year along, over 200,000 people have been displaced and if you would like to contribute in some way/shape/form, please comment on the second video and share it as well!”
Other Answers by Jeshua Soh:
How I Started a Business in Myanmar at Age 23
How I Started A Rental Service At 19 With $0 and Grew It Into A Full-Fledged Peer-to-Peer Business By 23
Interviewer Note:
Like Jeshua, I too dropped out of school at about 19, except, unlike him, I was in university, didn’t have any idea what I wanted to do with myself next, didn’t consult anyone before making the decision, and was eventually made to feel a lot of shame for having done that.
Fast forward almost two decades, I can now tell you, I do not regret dropping out, nor have I ever felt much of a pinch for being a school dropout. In fact, rather than destroy me, dropping out opened new opportunities, experiences and conversations I never would have had had I stayed on the route I had been on.
It’s not that I recommend dropping out: dropping out is not a walk in the woods and comes with emotional and financial challenges the dropout will need to be ready to deal with at short notice; plus like Jeshua said, nobody wants to be operated on by a surgeon with no certificate so if that is what you want, hell yes, get that certificate. But all the same, I do think those kids who have dropped out or are thinking of dropping out should know that quitting school is hardly the end of the world.
Life options don’t just freeze after you end school. You have till your dying day to go back to school. There is always a new day, a new chance to try and attain success in your own way (like Hui Ling, the Young Artist Award winner we interviewed earlier did).
More importantly, as another school dropout, Steve Jobs, once said, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” So that is what you really should be figuring out, not just how to attain better certificates. 😉
Photographs courtesy and copyright of Jeshua Soh. Interviewer: Sy
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