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Old 20-06-2020, 10:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
There are many parents who have sent their kids overseas to do law.
Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief that all these parents are rich and affluent, this is not true.

Some have indeed borrowed heavily from the banks, pledged their houses as collaterals, in order to take out a loan to fund their child’s LLB and LLM in UK.
This is very true. Some have even withdrawn all their CPF monies at 55 to pay for their children’s overseas education.

Among my friends, most of their parents have actually downgraded from a landed/condo to a HDB as a result of this commitment.

When quizzed why they do this, a few variations in replies but a common thread throughout.

They want to help their child fulfill their ambitions to become a lawyer.
At the end of the day education beats inheritance, for instance.

The sad thing is that most of these parents do not know how cutthroat the legal industry is.
Everyone assumes that those who go overseas are rich, this is plainly untrue.
In fact a good number of them have sold their cars, their property in order to fund their children’s overseas education.

They believe that an overseas education would give their child greater exposure.
For the young parents out there who are lawyers yourself, and provided you love your kids, you’ll also someday want the best for them. It may be a stretch to send your sons or daughters to Oxbridge/LSE but you’ll still do it nonetheless.
That’s a parents’ love.

Whether it adds to job prospects, that’s a different issue. But acknowledge that whether there is a competitive advantage or not, or whether it makes you worse off, the clear fact is that parents are just helping their children fulfill their ambitions.
Guys at 21 and girls at 18 still view the world as unadulterated, pure, innocent and simple.
You think they know what is PTSD, burnout and depression?
They can read of it, but going through it in practice is different from reading about it.
If not why do people talk about experience, about walking through life and having regrets, etc. It’s a cycle of life.
A saddening post, but true nonetheless. It is also true for NUS. 50K course fees + expenses doesn't just fall from the sky you know. Particularly if you're already struggling to make ends meet i.e. 80% who live in HDB. Still not so painful if you get a scholarship.

I will one day hope to send my kids to Oxbridge/LSE. Not because NUS isn't good enough but I want that for my own children - the benefit of overseas exposure and the ability to work anywhere in the world should they choose to do so. It is a Singaporean dream.

Generally speaking if they get Oxbridge/LSE they should be able to secure scholarships. Tons of them do.

Obviously the course must be worthwhile. Don't do accounting and end up in Big 4. Don't do law and end up churning your life away through billable hours.

I would NEVER let my future kids do law. This is a real thing. Just not worth the trade-offs.

Medicine, yes. Dentistry, yes. Economics, yes. Business, yes. Yes, yes, yes. Computer science, sure, take my money. Not law. Not accountancy. Both are stupid choices - I write that without an ounce of resentment or bitterness for my own choices. It is the weekend and I'm working, just like last week and the week before.

I'm pretty sure a lot of us would agree that law is not worth it.
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