writing test...
Wednesday, October 22, 2008 (10:45 PM)
The tendency for humans to compare is not uncommon in any aspect of life. When we think about the number of times we hear the phrase, “it’s not fair”, we realise it has become a habit of sorts; one that creeps unknowingly in the back of our minds and leave our system through verbal communication when we least expect it.
The enmity between the IQ and EQ-faction has been ongoing probably since both concepts came into existence. The question now is which is more important in this new millennium?
Paper qualifications have been of great importance at least since the time I was born. The 1990s batch of students went through what was known as the workbook/worksheet-syndrome and the importance of having good qualifications was repeated so many times to us that the reverberation is still ringing in my ears today. Indeed, having good paper qualifications is important. And that is an understatement, especially in a society that constantly chants “meritocracy” like ours.
It is a disturbing issue that the only measurement of meritocracy is reduced to paper qualifications, especially for those who have no work experience to speak of. I recall a wave of articles published not too long ago that reported on job applicants faking credentials in their resumes. In spite of his working abilities, a certain management-level employee was dismissed from his position. The situation is understandable as agreed in the contract; in the event any false information is provided, the applicant will be terminated from service. However, it exemplifies a form of social stigma that many might have overlooked. What was the motivation for the action of the applicant?
We have been so obsessed with paper qualifications, we do not stop to think how many hopefuls we have denied of any chances at any work. The EQ-faction would exclaim in agreement. What is the use of having a high IQ when one has poor EQ? The sad truth is IQ has been about the only basis the world has been using as a tool for employment opportunities.
Today, the government encourages entrepreneurial spirit in youths. For entrepreneurs, paper qualifications may not be as important as opposed to, what the Japanese call, the salaryman (one who draws monthly salaries from their employers). At the very least, no one is there to judge your IQ before you are allowed to start your own business. And an employer with high EQ would be greatly loved, at least in my opinion.
In this Facebook-ed era, people my age are so concerned about poking our friends to make sure they remember us and hope that they throw a few hugs at our direction, we seem to be making a significant, albeit gradual, shift from the IQ-faction to the EQ-faction. And it is in this movement that we reach some kind of balance when the movement is not complete.
Let’s face it. None of which is more important than the other at any time, this millennium included. IQ gets you to the interview and EQ gets you through it. The age-old war between IQ and EQ never ceased, and it probably never will. At the end of the debate, we would all hold hands and say it is best to have both. But not everyone gets to have the best of both worlds. Remember, it’s not fair.