How to Study Smart

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Why do some students study very hard, spending most of their time doing their revision but they aren’t the best in their study group? And why are there some students who only spend a fraction of the time studying but they often get good or even outstanding results? This was not due to the lack of natural talent in studies but it simply means that they have not found an effective tool which acts as a knack for understanding concepts and learning new ideas. One of the smart study habits is by using mind-map to promote effective and accelerated learning experience. A mind map is a useful web-like structure which emphasizes visual imagery that helps to engage in critical thinking and seeing a bigger picture. Empirically, mind-mapping is proven as an effective method of note-taking as an active learning (Abi-El-Mona and Abd-Ei-Khalick, 2008; Liu, Zhao and Ma et al., 2014). Mind mapping makes learning more vivid, thus promotes creative thinking and encourages brainstorming. Th...
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Money or Passion

It is the topic of a thousand casual conversations. Would you choose to stay at a high-paying job that you didn’t love or you would choose to pursue your dreams even if the income isn’t guaranteed? It seems that this question has been pondered around especially after you have graduated from high school, thinking of a college major.

I was convinced by everyone around me that the measure of a person’s value and intelligence was based on how much they managed to earn. This often happens when there is a group of parents busy comparing their child’s income and occupation during Chinese New Year or wedding dinner. Yes, typical Chinese parents trying to show off how much their child values. Hence, because of the incessant drumbeat I heard for money, I chose an educational and career path that I clearly knew it directed me away from my passions – Accounting and Finance.

However, don’t get me wrong that I am here to promote the advantages on taking up a high-earning job. But instead, let me continue the story. I did have some degree of talent in accounting, but I wouldn’t spend my odd time comparing business figures. I would spend my time singing and listening to the top tracks that are played on the radio. I have consistently improved my vocal and the methods of singing by learning through Youtube.

An article posted on Harvard Business Review stated that when you are facing an unknown (whether passions generate good income), the only way to know anything for sure is to act (Schlesinger, Kiefer and Brown, 2012). You wouldn’t know where the path brings you if you remain stationary and refuse to move forward. Sometimes you don’t need to think of where  will you end up, or predict the outcome of the choice, or plan for every eventuality. You may choose to take every small step towards making it a reality, and you will see what happens.

Yes, you might not be able to convert your passion into a source of income right away. We need to accept that the bills don’t care if we are passionate or not. There are things that we need to consider such as “will this job able to finance my basic needs, my goals and my future?”. But, life is too short and precious to be boring. As the job is becoming more and more consuming, putting a bandage of materials things on top of the personal wound does not bring you any further.

For every success, there are tears, sweats and sacrifices. You may be less happy when you earn a higher salary, despite that you will have to give up things like spending time with your family and friends in order to earn the extra money. So, the answer is obvious. Give and take. Find a job that is interesting and where you earn enough, but don’t worry about getting a vast salary.

So if I were asked, money or passion? I wonder, why not both?

Reference
Schlesinger, L.A., Kiefer, C.F. and Brown, P.B. (2012) Making Money and Doing What You Love. Harvard Business Review [online], March 29th,
[Accessed: 15th July 2017] 

By: Yau Che Yan, BAF1541
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