If you’re poor, should you spend money on lifelong learning? Yes. Set aside a budget for self-education—a percentage of your income dedicated to buying books, enrolling in online courses, or hiring a coach. How much should you spend? Start by calculating how much you spend on entertainment. Think about movies, streaming subscriptions, gaming, junk food, […]
Is Your STEM Degree Worth It?
An reader wrote: ‘I stumbled upon your LinkedIn post regarding science graduates complaining about their salary and is it ungrateful. I’m a second-year biomedical science student and for the past few months I’ve been almost regretting choosing a STEM pathway for a degree because everyone kept saying science degrees are a scam because of the […]
Are Science Graduates Ungrateful about Salaries?
‘Science graduates complain too much about their salaries. They should be grateful for what they have.’ You’ve probably heard this argument before. On the surface, it sounds like wisdom about gratitude. But does it make sense? As a lecturer, I’ve heard both sides of the debate. Let me say this clearly: accusing graduates of being […]
Unlocking the Psychology Behind Keeping Career Dreams Alive
When you are starting out, you rarely get the life opportunities you genuinely want. You’re constrained by money and circumstances. You feel frustrated and disappointed. Here’s the truth: life rarely moves in a straight line. The key is to maximise the most of the moves you have on your chessboard right now. But never give […]
The Silent Saboteur: How Your Surroundings Can Lead to Failure
Sometimes you fail not because you are not good enough. It could be your environment. For example, people and work surroundings can trigger chronic stress. You think that is normal, so you accept it and live with it. Then your elevated cortisol suppresses immune function. You get ill frequently, […]
Why Your Science Degree Isn’t Landing You a Job
Getting a job is hard, even if you have a university degree. Many of my former science students are still searching for jobs. They have shared their sadness and frustrations with me. It hurts more when you are not even interested in natural sciences. You took the science degree because you trusted older people. Your […]