S1E53: Game of life: Must success always be about good grades and jobs?

Apr 23, 2025

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Success used to mean good grades, and then landing a good job. But is this changing?

Synopsis: Every month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests.

In this special edition of In Your Opinion - filmed in front of a live audience - two youths share their experiences in starting up a business, and whether school grades would determine success at the workplace.

About 100 people attended two recordings at indie cinema The Projector at Golden Mile Tower on the evening of April 15.

The special live recording was organised in partnership with the National Youth Council (NYC), in support of the SG Youth Plan – an action blueprint created by youths, for youths and the world that they will lead.

Hosted by ST assistant podcast editor Lynda Hong, this episode features two young entrepreneurs - Ms Adella Yeo and Mr Nabill Shukry.

Currently an account manager at a software company, Ms Adella Yeo Rae-Nyse had co-founded MatcHub, a startup that matched fellow NUS students to find suitable job roles based on their personality.

A part-time student with SUSS studying marketing, Nabill Shukry Johary juggles school with a business he started up in 2021 with his father - Cheekies, a home-based delivery service of healthy meals for the Muslim market - in a bid to help his family move out of their one-room rental apartment in Tampines.

Is Singapore ready for diverse pathways to success so that young people can feel accomplished in their own ways?

Highlights (click/tap above):

2:00 Journey to entrepreneurship

7:39 The point of going to university is not just for the paper qualifications

10:32 How academic grades play a part post-school

16:19 Challenge the conventions of success

27:14 Advice for youths to forge their own success

Every voice matters, and if you want to share ideas and have your voice heard, you can do your bit in the SG Youth Plan Quest at: https://go.gov.sg/sgyp-mc

Find out more about NYC’s upcoming engagement sessions: https://www.YouthPlan.gov.sg

Read ST’s Opinion section: https://str.sg/w7sH

Host: Lynda Hong (lyndahong@sph.com.sg)

Produced by: ST Podcast Team & ST Outreach & Engagement Team

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Executive producers: Ernest Luis & Lynda Hong

Follow In Your Opinion Podcast here and get notified for new episode drops:

Channel: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wukb

Spotify: https://str.sg/w7sV

Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg

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