I valued my time in FASS very much, though of course I am very aware considerable time has passed since I last sat in tutorials and lectures in my bermudas. I am sure much has changed. As an English Literature and Language graduate, with a first year of study in Sociology, I think my studies prepared me well for the working world, though not in ways one might expect.

My four years in NUS – including my honours thesis on British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro – certainly honed my writing skills and appreciation of the power of the written word. Certainly our various courses and assignments – and there seemed so many!—strengthened my ability to develop and structure an argument. That for sure is a critical skill in the working world, whether it’s writing an opinion piece for the newspaper, developing a narrative for a marketing strategy or crafting a cultural policy paper. (Of course, my love of the written word is connected to my “extra-curricular activity” – poetry. But I will save that for another occasion.)

One of the features of the best long-form literature from around the world is that their narratives hold a mirror to human nature. They remind us there is a timelessness to how humanity organises itself and how members interact with each other, and in their stories, carry lessons for readers. The great themes of literature – war, loss, love, exile and journey – are as instructive today as they were when the texts were written. Certainly they have helped me understand and contextualise the complex world we live in.

Storytelling, one of the world’s oldest art forms, is obviously also linked to effective communication, another important skill in contemporary life. How do you hold your audience’s attention? How do you be clear and leave people with a positive impression? How do you persuade or dissuade using words? So whether you are an educator, a marketer or research analyst, such skills are critical.

Still I am aware Literature doesn’t seem of value to many pragmatic minded people. But I would say my course mates haven’t done too badly at all, even if you took on more conventional benchmarks. The last time, I checked, my small Honours class produced two PhDs who are actively contributing to their respective fields, two senior public servants in communications and tourism, one children’s book publisher, one radio deejay turned orchestra administrator, one corporate and personal coach, a number of English teachers and interestingly, one former TV personality who has become a Member of Parliament.

I also have many fond memories of the Sociology and English language units, particularly sociolinguistics and the analysis of the use of language in various contexts, including conversations and literature. My thoughts on Singlish – its unique vocabulary and syntax – and its complex connection to our Singaporean identity was formed as an undergraduate. Similarly the ideas of cultural relativism, liminality, tabula rasa, post-colonialism, all taught and discussed at various FASS courses, are still reference points for me today to help me frame today’s realities.

That said, I think university education provides an important foundation or scaffolding, but that’s just the start of your career journey. After that, honestly, it’s up to you to make the most of your career. You will evolve as well – your interests, your priorities, your sense of your strengths. Along the course, there will be twists and turns. One does learn eventually how to navigate the various pathways, how to weigh the options at different junctions, and how to build networks that lead to opportunities. There will be serendipity involved, and there will be some wrong choices made.

We need to cherish an education in the humanities. It is ultimately learning about being human, and understanding our place in the universe. We can still keep these high-minded aspirations while appreciating FASS 2.0 as an important pathway to orientate graduates to the working world and the realities of industry and vocation in the Singapore. The industry seminars, mentorships and internships will offer, I’m sure, new networks and valuable windows to life after graduation

But surely what is important is to maintain an intellectual curiosity, be true to yourself and fair to everyone around you, and always remember that if one does succeed – assuming one can neatly define what success means in contemporary life! – it is more than your individual effort. There are many people to acknowledge, including one’s teachers, mentors, and certainly the institutions that all played their part in shaping you into the productive, thinking human you are today.