The meaning of 'Mainstream' - the ideas, the attitudes or activities that are shared by most people and regard as normal or conventional.
The social mainstream tend to follow a rigid concept or system that govern the majority of mankind. But there are some who
just simply doesn't seem fit in with the conventional path set by the social demands. These are the ones who tend to walk the most unconventional roads and found some of the most uncommon results.
Classic example like Christoper Columbus who discovered the continent of America between 1492 - 1502. People of that Era did not believe that it was possible to reach Asia through Atlantic ocean, it was one of the common mainstream mindset, but Columbus did not follow that concept and went on voyages to prove his theory. Although he did not reach Asia, he did discover America and proved to the people of the Era that the world isn't that small as they thought.
Ever come across people who tend to give advice based on 'mainstream' flow rather than from actual real experience. There are some who do not really know what they are talking about, for much of the time it was based on the 'mainstream' ideas flowing around. For most of it, the motive of intention is good but it may just not fit well with some people. Some of common example of social mainstream like 'Study hard, get a qualification', 'Get a
job, work hard' or 'Get marry, have children'. I basically lost count on how many times people been telling around me. 'Go study a degree, get a better job!'
'Study a degree, so whats next?'
Response: 'Find a better job'
'No relevant experience, how?'
Response:'Go get the relevant experience!'
'Don't even want to hire me, how to get relevant experience?'
A long pause and then response:'Can start from junior position, get the experience first.'
'Back to square one? Suffer pay-cut? Got family and kids to feed. How?
Stop. Walk away.
Lol. Actually it went much further than that, but you get the ideas ah?
As i had mentioned in 'My Journey', when I was in Air Force. There was a huge crowd following the mainstream phenomenon of studying part-time degree such as Business Management to upgrade themselves. They managed to complete it and obtain a higher qualification, but some of them ended up going nowhere. Turns out that they had in fact studied an 'irrelevant field'. Most of bosses were reluctant to hire a 'green' manager with no management background. One of my friends had to study another relevant degree in the 'Engineering' field in order to get further advancement in the existing industry.
Generally, most of the advice given were out of good intention. They are not entirely wrong in following the mainstream but the world is far more complicated than just purely following the flow.
For fresh graduates, they can afford to start new with no family commitments. But for most of us in middle 40s or even 50s, it is a tricky situation. Especially ones is already holding a middle rank within their industry with a pay-check that had grew after years of service. Tied down by family commitment and housing loans, starting over in a new industry would meant suffering pay cut or loss of value. So rather than following the 'mainstream' it would make more sense to analyses it whether how it would fit in with our situation.
So, 'Study a degree, get better recognition within our current chosen field' would be more fitting with the Gen X group. After all, we are now in our middle age, we cannot afford to waste any more time and resources. Better know what we are doing before committing.
Ahem! For those who purely study for knowledge or passion, consider yourself lucky!
Why?
Well..... that brings out some of my memories. Bad memories......
The Price of following the 'Mainstream'
In 1994, during the time when I was pursuing my Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. It was one of the many tutorial lessons on the subject of Engineering Math. Suddenly, the lecturer injected a class test. When the class test ended, everybody left except me. I was alone still sitting in the class staring at the paper on my desk. The lecturer was a lady in her 50s, she walked over and inquired. She was shocked to see a blank sheet of paper. I had written nothing for the past 30 min. I told her truthfully, I totally had no idea how to do it. Obviously, she thought I was trying to be funny. She went through the test scripts with me and realized I wasn't lying. I really had no idea how to do. All the past lessons in the class, I had been struggling to understand the subject but it was in vain. I was unable comprehend anything at all. She looked at me with a sad face and said one word which I remembered it for the rest of my life. "You shouldn't be here'.
Many years later, I finally realized what she meant. I had followed the mainstream and ended up studying something which I totally cannot handle at all. Those days, people just followed the mainstream, study hard, get into the polytechnic, doesn't matter what you study. The price I paid was 3 years of nightmares in Polytechnic. The reasons were simple, I did not manage to discover where my strength (History and Arts) was and ended up in a field which I can never be good at.
Although I eventually managed to graduate from Polytechnic. It was obtained not with my capabilities, but rather through sheer amount of vain efforts and determination put in place by my lecturers who tried to help me through it. I had done 3 times more tutorials than any students, I sit face to face in the lecturers' room, a one to one personal coaching in early morning and late evening while my classmates spend their time shopping or playing soccer. And the final examination results which came out was. I failed. Yes, I failed the final examination. 3 times in 3 different modules. I simply cannot make it. But yet, they helped me through by giving me a 'satisfaction 'pass, which was in truth a 'sympathy' pass as an recognition of my titanic efforts.
It was not something I wanted to remember but nevertheless it was a part of my past as a firm reminder of the price of following the 'Mainstream' without knowing what I was really doing. I was plain lucky, really lucky to meet 2 kind heart lecturers who helped me.
The Aftermath
I guess I changed much after that. The trauma however remains. There were nights when I woke up with dreams about looming examinations with all those Engineering Math formula floating around my eyes. Scary isn't it?
Thereafter was I got myself trapped in engineering jobs which were all totally unsuitable to my character and I could never be good at. But still, I made the best out of the worse and eventually discovered that the path to the freedom I so desired is to achieve financial independence. The path which would one day free me and allow me to pursue my passions.
Well, that was long isn't it.
For all those still searching for an answer. Best of luck and may Fate smile upon us all.
Merry Christmas!
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