SINGAPORE - As students pursue their passions, they should also find joy in what they are studying, even if it is not related to what they are interested in at the moment, said Acting Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung on Friday.

Comparing it to a relationship, he said: "It's good to marry someone you love. But it's far more important to love the person you marry."

He was speaking with about 80 polytechnic and Institute of Technical Education students during an SGfuture session on the topic of lifelong learning.

During the session, many students shared what their passions were - ranging from programming to taekwondo - and discussed the challenges they faced in pursuing them.

Mr Ong added that as a student learns more about a subject, he may grow to become more interested in it.

Case in point? Mr Ong himself. He said that his career has seen him move from one organisation to the next. And with each job switch, he became more interested in his new work scope as he learnt more about it.