Education

Sunday January 6, 2008

Hear it from the experts

DECIDING on a course of study or career can be a no-brainer for some students, but a real agony for others.

The lucky ones have a clear idea of the career path they intend to follow, while the rest muddle through, either following the crowd or obeying their parents' wishes.

If you are looking for educational information, the Star Education Fair is a must-visit. - Filepic
Nonetheless, whichever group they belong to, students should still ensure that they have all the information necessary to make a wise decision.

There is a wealth of information on careers and courses of study, from various sources like the Internet, career fairs, brochures, books and career counsellors.

However, there is nothing like getting a first-hand account of what a particular career is like from someone who is doing the job.

This is what StarEducation has endeavoured to do with its annual career pullout in conjunction with the Star Education Fair.

Like last year, there are two pullouts – one focusing on careers in science and technology, and the other on arts-based jobs.

From lesser-known occupations like forensic entomologist and aviation psychologist to more mainstream ones like chartered engineer and veterinarian, this pullout aims to showcase interesting jobs in science and technology through the eyes of people who love what they do.

Students can also find out what life is like as a coffee taster, lingerie designer and comic artist, among others, in next Sunday's arts career pullout.

While deciding on a potential career is the first step, of equal importance is choosing a course of study and the right institution to do it in.

With over 150 exhibitors and 430 booths, students and parents will have a wide choice of institutions and programmes to survey at The Star Education Fair 2008 to be held next weekend.

As it covers five halls and the entire ground level of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, visitors should go early and wear comfortable shoes.

Students in need of general career and tertiary study advice should check out the talks on Options after SPM and Studying & Working: Personal Experiences.

The Options after SPM talk will look at choosing the right pre-university programme and subjects, as well as what polytechnics and community colleges have to offer.

Students attending the Studying & Working: Personal Experiences talk will hear directly from young working graduates about the differences between student life and the working world.

If money is a worry, drop by the Funding Higher Education talk at which representatives from the Star Education Fund, National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) and the Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange (Macee) will speak on how to obtain financial aid and scholarships.

Students should also take the opportunity to hear what the job is really like from professionals and academics in the fields of information and communications technology (ICT), engineering, allied health sciences and medicine & dentistry.

Secondary school students should not miss Sunny Yee's session on How to Approach SPM Physics and Additional Mathematics to get some valuable tips.

Visitors to the fair can look forward to freebies from McDonald’s, Faber Castell and Acer. In addition, Philips will be sponsoring electronic equipment for a lucky draw during the fair.

The Star Education Fair 2008 will be held on Jan 12 and 13 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 11am to 7pm. Admission is free.

The fair will move up north to the Penang International Sports Arena on March 1 and 2.

For details, call 03-7967 1388, ext 1168/ 1250/ 1243/ 1466, or 04-647 3899 (for Penang) between 9am and 5pm, from Mondays to Fridays, e-mail:
msd@thestar.com.my.

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