Class of 2009.

Congratulations to the Class of 2009 from the Psychology department=)

As George Bishop said, psychologists are in demand amidst the economic downturn. Ok, he didn’t exactly say that. What he said was: US of A has 1 psychologist for every 10,000 people while Singapore has 1 psychologist for every 130,000 people. A lot of room for growth.

Don’t. fret=p

I do not disagree on that but how many Singaporeans actually know what psychologists do? If they still think we “read minds”, listen to patients on black couches, and interact mostly with disillusioned people, who would seriously consider our importance in the wider society? Nonetheless, I’m optimistic that my fellow psychology majors will have a whole lot of things to offer to every part of the society=)

I can’t tell you how useful psychology is. I can only say that it changed my entire worldview. I no longer see the world as I did 4 years ago. I’m glad I took the gamble 4 years ago and I’ve no regrets.

Anyway, I’m still pretty amused by parts of the speech given by Edmund during the department’s graduation tea. He said ORDERED us to donate a significant portion of our first paycheck to charity. He emphasised that it wasn’t a suggestion. Neither was it a recommendation. He said we MUST do it… because if we do so, we will find it much easier to continue giving back to the society in future. Well said.

Will I do it? Hmm… Well, I guess I can buy lots of sweets for my pupils. haha.

P.S. I really liked Eisen’s valedictorian speech on Tuesday. Here’s the link to his speech: http://eisen.clockinkspiel.net/?p=1131