For once I see a poll that asks for some sense and thinking. Although some input from van_halen would help. I presume that he has a problem choosing what to do in future, hence, the question
My two cents about this topic. Having come from a JC, I will write about it first.
JC and the "A" levels is a very rigourous two year course that would eventually earn you a BASIC certificate that is recognised all over the world (Cambridge IS recognised after all). Some say its a fast track into university, and they're not wrong. After all, other routes to uni aren't as short as what the JCs are offering.
In JC, you would find that the education that you recieve is pretty much what you're going to get in secondary school, except at a much higher level. You choose 3 subjects and one half subject, of which one must be from a different stream that you're in. Although you're going to be more specialised in the subjects you will choose, you would not be completely specialised in a subject. There is still plenty of options from what you have originally chose.
Furthermore, the education you recieve is more demanding. To do well, you would have to start doing consistantly well since the first year. After all, when you enter a JC you have the sole path of doing well enough to get you the University course. And the subjects you take requires a much higher thinking than that compared to secondary school. It doesn't take it up a notc; it takes it up by at least 3 notches. So if yuo think you still can do the same style you do in secondary school, good luck.
Bear in mind that going JC is also a gamble. You MUST excel to get into University. Not doing well leaves you pretty much no where. An A level cert would not guarantee you a stable job. People won't hire you with just an A level cert and even if they do, they'll pay the diploma holder a lot much more
Anyway, talking about the intangibles, I found my two years in JC to be the most enjoyable. That is where I made the most and best friends of my entire life. Two years into army and I'm still in contact with most of my classmates and other people from other classes. School spirit is also very strong in a JC, or maybe just perhaps the JC I was in. I never had a dull moment in JC, or perhaps it was too packed for it to be a dull moment. Despite the study sessions I had to do everyday, I enjoyed studying with my friends. Also partly after studying we'll go out and enjoy ourselves for a couple of hours before going home to sleep. Strangely, these studying sessions also bond us closer together as friends more than any thing else would do
Eventually, before you leave school you would know most people from your year by face or by name. Some call this as networking, which isn't quite wrong. And you'll get to know all sorts of people from all sorts of life at JC. Most remembers me as "Dance-boy" solely because I was the only male in the female-dominated dance club. There was this girl who would wear a ton of make-up to school. I had a friend who did nothing but studying all day, because he wanted to do well to get a scholarship and help support his family in the future. The list goes on
Pardon me, I'm not saying that in Poly you wouldn't see this, but what I'm saying as because the JC cohort is relatively small, and combine it with the smaller school campus you would eventually see everything, even a small glance, under one roof easily.
Of course, there comes the concession
Now, what I'm writing about Poly is based from how my friends tell me about it. So forgive me if I make many errors or do not give the full picture.
By choosing a polytechnic course, you're going to be specialised in a particular skill, craft or subject at a very young age. The three years you spend in poly would nurture you well to be able to hone what you've learned when you eventually graduate. It is not as stressful as the JC system. Afterall, when you leave school, you have a basic diploma to your name. A basic diploma would get you a stable job, as employers see that you have a basic skill/knowledge to your name. Besides, a diploma in Singapore also earns you slightly more than a JC student. If you do your work well consistantly and study and attempt your best, you would be able to graduate with a good cert that would land you a more stable job. For those who excel, there are chances to go into University and further your studies
Now, Poly life is also a very life-changing experience. Everyone there all has very very different stories. Multiply that by the ten thousands of students there and that'll be a lot. I won't say much cause I don't know how its like though