Your SPM result shouldn’t matter after some years

The SPM results were released on Thursday. Just realising the fact that those who sat for their SPM last year were born in 1998 is enough to make me feel kind of old. It’s already been six years since I got my result. How many years has it been since you got yours?

In the days that follow, people will be naturally curious about your result. If you got straight As, they will go “Oh my God, congrats!”.

After a few years, however, if you try to even boast about that straight As in SPM, people will either brush it off (“So?”) or regard you as egoistic (“What a show-off”).

On the other hand, if your result is not so good, like Amir Muhammad says, “If you fail your SPM, you can still succeed in life. It’s just that, for a few years, some people will think you’re stupid”.

I sat down to reflect about those years that had passed since my SPM. My younger self (when I just got my SPM result) definitely differs from my current self. Some things have changed so much, and some people have passed on.

When I took my SPM, I wanted to get a scholarship and become either a lawyer or businessman. I decided not to pursue medicine or engineering because, firstly, I can’t stand blood and, secondly, I am bad at constructing and fixing stuff with my hands. I ended up doing something completely different than what the 17-year-old me had imagined.

In 2010 (when I had just collected my SPM result), I had no idea what was philosophy. Fast forward six years, I have a degree in Philosophy, but I still have no idea what to do with it.

In 2010, I was never published anywhere, not even in my school magazine despite numerous attempts. In 2016, I am a proud columnist for The Malaysian Insider and an author of one book.

In 2010, I thought I could be a lawyer or entrepreneur. In 2016, I think I should take a sabbatical and “disappear” for a few months.

In 2010, I had never been outside of Malaysia. In 2016, I have been to six countries – Japan, Turkey, Singapore, Hong Kong, United States, and India.

In 2010, I thought to myself that everyone who owns an Apple product is "anak orang kaya" because it's almost one or two months of my household income. In 2016, I have a Macbook Pro, iPad Air, iPhone 4s (used).

In 2010, I had no idea what's 10 years ahead. In 2016, I have no idea what's 10 years ahead.

Of course, it is not all sunshine and roses. I was rejected by the first four universities that I applied to and had depression twice.

I am still incredibly selfish with my time and remain as lazy as ever. I flipped burgers in a super hot and oily kitchen, mopped the floor, threw the trash, and the worst part... I had to carry and throw away the grease.

I worked as a cashier in a local supermarket where I encountered so many rude and arrogant customers while performing a thankless and repetitive task.

But I was thinking, “Who among us ended up doing what we wanted to do when we collected our SPM result years ago?”

We may not end up doing what we set out to do or be, but life didn't turn out so bad, did it? Hence, as we plan our future, maybe we should cherish the uncertainties, the detours, and the unexpected.

The thing is, your SPM shouldn’t matter after a few years. If you got a good result and still bask in it, you are sitting on your past success and relying on it. You have not moved forward. You have not grown. You have not created something new.

If you got an undesirable result and still regret it, you are letting your past failure to haunt you. You are limiting yourself. You set your bar a little lower just because you couldn’t get the last one right. If you are not doing anything to get up, catch up, and improve, you are letting the past dictate your future.

Not only does the individual student shouldn’t rely on his/her SPM result as a benchmark, society too shouldn’t evaluate someone based on SPM result alone. This is particularly true in the case of those who did not perform very well in the SPM.

Does it matter that someone got an “E” in his/her SPM English, but have since learned to speak the language? Why does it matter that a student gets a “D” in Biology if he/she aspires to be a writer and got “A” in the language subjects? Are straight A students necessarily better, smarter and/or kinder?

Just last week, I listened to a group of young people who said it was hard for them to get any jobs because of their SPM result. Many employment opportunities are closed to them, and even their own society looks down on them.

The SPM result is not meant to judge a person’s worth, but sadly for these people, it is an eternal punishment.

While the SPM result does tell us something about the students, it doesn’t tell us everything about them. I think it is highly unfair to put a permanent label on both those who succeed and those who fail SPM.

After all, those who succeed today may fail tomorrow, those who fail today may succeed tomorrow. – March 5, 2016.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer, organisation or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.