REALITY KNOCKS: NAVIGATING THE REAL-WORLD

“So you think you have it all planned out; an academic programme of your desire and the career of your dreams. Enter the real world, and things may not be that simple,” enthused Pua who shared the following analogy.

“Knowledge paves out the paths in life, and values help us discern the best routes to follow; but what we need in the real world is the skills to navigate through its challenges and obstacles,” explained Pua Chee Ling, Chief Executive Dika College who cautioned that the bends, nooks and crannies thrown up by reality can sometimes be vast, uncertain and overwhelming.

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Seeing Relevance

“How much of what we’ve learned in school is relevant to the real-world?” quizzed Pua who highlighted that there is much deliberation on how much of what is learnt in school actually makes a difference in real-life.  “This is not a trick question, go ahead Google it!” cajoled Pua.

“There are varying answers to this. Some argue that we only use five to ten percent of what has been taught to us in school, whilst some postulate that 98 percent of what we learn is wasted,” revealed Pua who reeled in again the question, “How prepared is one for the real world?”

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As Pua begins to break things down, for a better understanding of what is at stake, she offers to start with what would be a known fact. “There is a big transition between school and college. For starters in terms of workload and how workload is organised. Often, the newfound freedom that college life avails can be a tad too emancipating, and it is easy to become disengaged,” said Pua.

“School and college equips us with knowledge, but the competency to use  that knowledge comes from the guidance and mentoring that seeks to help a student bridge text book learning and real-world experiences,” emphasised Pua.

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“At Dika, we work hard to ensure that we build academic proficiency, cultivate social competency and nurture the emotional confidence among our students. Our commitment to equip students with knowledge and skills, is matched by a conviction to provide students with an experience that will help them anticipate, embrace and thrive in the real word,” said Pua.

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Anticipating the Real World

Pua illustrated that it is crucial that students are prepared to anticipate real-world circumstances. “Firstly, we ensure this by the strength of the Dika content,” said Pua who explained that the Dika curriculum extols a hands-on approach that is benchmarked after international standards.  

“Our curriculum is crafted to address real-world scenarios, issues and concerns,” said Pua who emphasised that Dika enrich students progressive academic aptitudes and empathetic character attitudes. 

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“Secondly, the Dika curriculum is built on a foundation of industry-based-learning and strengthened through dynamic and vibrant teacher-student relationship. Students are guided on how to collaborate and contribute alongside a well-qualified academic team who hail from the industry,” said Pua who explained that this instills professional competency and social confidence. 

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Embracing the Real World

Next, Pua explained that it isn’t enough to be content with content. Reality she eluded, is manifested through a context, and in order for one to navigate the real-world, one has to understand the forces at work.

“A class at Dika is commonly made up of students of varying ages. Some are fresh out of high school, whilst others may have been already working for a number of years. This creates a dynamic environment that encourages peer exchanges that are related to real-world subtleties,” said Pua.

“Immersion is another excellent way to foster real-world insight,” added Pua who explained that students at Dika are encouraged to work as early as their second year in college. 

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“The Eduprenuer Programme offered by and unique to Dika is another of our pioneering efforts towards fostering real-world adeptness,” said Pua. “The programme is a first in the country, offering the expertise and mentorship from captains of the industry. Their goal is to provide students with an insight into the real-world, and the skills to identify, discern and embrace challenges and opportunities,” added Pua.

Thriving in the Real World

“Dika believes that empathy is the answer to the question, “Will I thrive in the real-world?” shared Pua. “Things are far from rosy in the real-world. Compassion is something we instill in our students,” said Pua who explained that the activities and exposure programmes organised by the college centre around helping students understand the needs of the society.

“We place a lot of emphasis on charitable and voluntary work. We also provide students with the know-how on how to be self-advocates because we believe that we must be the change we want to see,” stressed Pua. 

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“To this end, we support and collaborate with advocates such as the Inclusive Outdoor Classroom (IOC), Dialogue in the Dark (DID), and non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) to name a few, to further advocacy initiatives,” said Pua.

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“Another thing which is important to us is that we encourage our students to stand up for what they believe in, even if it means having to pass over work opportunities with organisations that hold conflicting values,” said Pua.

“The Dika Job Vacancy Board is extremely committed to helping students find like-minded employers who share a keen sense of community and a vision of building a society that is driven by positive values, principles and standards.

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When Reality Knocks

“Since our inception, we have consistently upheld a commendable graduate employability index,” said Pua explaining that the college consistently achieves a 90 over percent rate for students being employed within six months after they graduate.

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“Whether students find what they have learned in school useful or otherwise, is determined greatly by how they make their day-to-day decisions. The team at Dika is at-hand to ensure that when reality knocks, our students will be well prepared to welcome, embrace and ride the challenges and opportunities the real-world brings,” said Pua.

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Article Commissioned by CayD Communications.