Congratulating high school students graduating this year, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan advised them not to pursue a college education merely to receive a diploma, but to select a profession that they love and will motivate them throughout their life.

“I believe everyone has a mission in this life. Choosing the right profession, making a choice with your heart and soul, is part of the process of finding this mission. It’s probably the most important decision you will soon have to make,” Pashinyan wrote in a statement released by his office.

Pashinyan told students to pursue a profession to change the world, and Armenia, for the better.

“Be it a teacher, a scientist, a doctor, a member of the armed forces, a businessman, an artist, an engineer, a policeman, a judge, a cook, a builder, a locksmith, a welder, a waiter, a farmer, a carpenter. I want you to believe in your mission to change the world for the better, to change our homeland for the better,” Pashinyan wrote.

He urged students to remember their role as citizens and future voters that will decide the path the country takes

“I believe in you. I want you to fully believe in yourself and your future. In any case, the guarantee of that future is knowledge and skills,” Pashinyan wrote.

Writing that Armenia is experiencing “difficult times”, Pashinyan argued that all current problems must be tackled by improving the country’s schools and education system.

“All these problems, without exception, were conceived at the elementary school or public education level,” Pashinyan wrote, adding that his administration has launched large-scale educational reforms to address the shortcomings in the education system.