Voices of Youth: Age should not be an obstacle to achieving one's dream through a mid-career switch

During the school holidays, I binge watched The Good Doctor. The character of Dr Alex Park intrigued me the most because he worked as a policeman for 15 years before becoming a doctor.

This got me thinking: Is it too late for someone who has reached middle age to change his career and achieve his dream in Singapore?

It seems to me that Singapore is fixated on the concept of a "runway". Because of that, it seems illogical for a 40-year-old to go to medical school because he is considered too old, with a path forward that is too short. The same can be said for other professions like law.

Singapore does encourage lifelong learning, but SkillsFuture does not offer a wide enough variety of courses for those who want to restart their lives with something new.

To have a chance to reorient one's life is priceless. Being able to achieve one's dream, or at least see a realistic chance of doing so, would make life more fulfilling. I hope that we as a nation see this as a viable option and make positive changes.

Azza Zhafira Badaruddin, 18

Pre-University 1 student

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.