Assoc Prof Dr Katherine Poh
PARENTS need to let their children make their own choices, be it the tertiary courses or careers they want to pursue. Citing reports that 60% of Malaysian graduates remained unemployed one year after graduation, City University Malaysia deputy vice chancellor business development Assoc Prof Dr Katherine Poh said most often than not, it was due to the wrong tertiary choices they had made.
“Students should consult the right counsellors after taking the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), instead of having their parents tell them what to do,” she emphasised.
She added that according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, 1.55 million graduates nationwide ended up taking jobs beneath their qualifications.
Such graduate mismatch, Poh pointed out, could lead to economic drawbacks and decline in investment attractiveness. Appealing to parents to not compel their children to take up choices against the latter’s wishes, she shared that it is not uncommon to see graduates – who had earlier bowed to parental pressure – not continuing with the career pathways they had studied for.
“It’s the students’ choice. Leave it to them. They know their passion best,” she asserted.
Ng Khai Hann
Echoing her views, Agensi Pekerjaan Find Talent Sdn Bhd managing director Ng Khai Hann said even at career fairs, parents are often seen influencing their children’s decision-making.
“Some parents say, ‘Don’t apply for this job. You have to go to the construction site. It is dangerous.’
“If you are 22 and your parents are influencing you, you need to decide if this is your life or theirs,” he said.
Ng shared that the main problem he and his team had discovered among graduates was career indecision, which he attributed to parental and societal expectations.
Money is often seen as a high priority among parents and our society, and that money-mindedness can influence a child wrongly in taking a pathway not suited to him or her, he said.
Taking charge
Calling on students to be more inquisitive and to do their own research, Poh said they can take the tests given at education fairs to identify their interests and strengths – be it linguistic, investigative, artistic, social, conventional or enterprising – and the courses they want to study.
“Look at the tertiary modules offered in Years One to Three. Ask yourself if these are your subjects of interest. If not, look for other alternatives,” she advised.
The affordability of the courses and how they can fund their studies are also factors for consideration that students need to be mindful of, she added.
“Many tertiary institutions give scholarships and rebates. There is also the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan which you can apply for. Take these options if you are really interested in the courses they are offering.
“Work out your finances. You may also do a bit of part-time work to subsidise yourself,” she said.
Another thing that students should enquire, she added, is if internships are offered in the programmes of their choice.
“Internship is important at the end of your second or third year. It builds your network, gives you experience and could even get you hired in the right company.
“Don’t accept institutions that give internships that are not related to your programme. Don’t do photocopying in the office or be a runner.
“If you are studying architecture, make sure you are in the firm not to learn how to make coffee or tea. That is not internship,” she stressed.
Achieving ikigai
For graduates facing career indecision, Ng recommended applying the ikigai concept to determine the right job for oneself.
In this context, it is to identify what you love, what the world needs, what you can be paid for, and what you are good at, he explained.
“All of us want to achieve ikigai, or our ‘reason for being’, because we want to feel a sense of fulfilment and bliss, and not go to work wondering what we are doing there,” he said.
Most people, he opined, are at a stage where they know what they are good at and what they are paid for, but feel empty because they don’t love their jobs and don’t feel they are making an impact.
Essentially, one needs to make the ultimate decision on what matters most to oneself and to learn to compromise, he said.
In reflecting on these questions, Ng added, jobseekers can utilise a tool used by psychologists known as the Johari window, which is designed to help people increase their self-awareness (see infographic).
Comprising four segments, the technique allows one to gain insights into one’s traits and skills that are known to everyone, hidden from others, blind to oneself, and unknown to everyone.
“Asking people for input can generate more ideas but you need to use common sense too,” he cautioned.
For those looking for a career change, he pointed out that having relevant experience in the field one is switching to is crucial.
“If you want to switch from human resources to marketing, you need to experience marketing before saying this is a career you really want,” he stressed while adding that it is just as important to do research before applying for a change and going for an interview.
“Platforms like LinkedIn are a wonderful place to find out more about the role from people holding similar positions in the companies you are applying for.
“Or talk to a recruiter and do some networking – putting yourself out there is important,” he said.
Emphasising that one needs to have an action plan to achieve ikigai, Ng said one may even need to upskill oneself if one is looking for a good career switch.
“What you do to get what you want is important. Action speaks louder than words. Give the employers tangible skills so they can see,” he said.
“If you find a job that you like, you need to put in effort and keep growing together. If it doesn’t work out, you can always find another one and not stay for life. You are allowed to change careers; you just need to know how to do it,” he concluded.
Advice for students
Curiosity in engineering
Robert Bosch Sdn Bhd project manager Lim Han Chou
“As engineers, we need to have that sense of curiosity. You want to know how things work, and you want to develop or design something. It’s the curiosity that will determine how we actually break though and develop new technologies.” – Robert Bosch Sdn Bhd project manager Lim Han Chou
Choosing a medical school
RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus president and chief executive officer Prof Dr David Whitford“There are five factors for consideration: location, curriculum, university rankings, cost, and the student life it offers.
1) Location: Getting away from home helps you to grow as an individual. You might want to see if there are hospitals in the area with a sufficient number of patients. Going into medicine clinically is about seeing as many patients as you can. Going abroad is great experience; it broadens the mind and exposes you to new cultures. One of the aspects of being a doctor is treating a person exactly as the next person. Experiencing a different culture helps you to grow in that aspect; it also helps you network for the future. Medicine is highly regulated across the world. You have to find out if the degree you’re going to get overseas is recognised back in your own country.
2) Curriculum: Medical schools are split into two main types of learning: traditional lectures and subjects, and problem-based learning. Different styles suit different people. Some schools teach by system such as the heart and cardiovascular system together, whereas others teach anatomy and physiology separately as subjects. Clinical medicine keeps your interest going if you’re meeting patients during your first year, instead of your third year of medical studies. And what is the class size? If there are over a thousand students in a year, you may get lost in the group but if the size is too small, you don’t learn from other people. Are there opportunities to do research?
3) Rankings: The major two rankings in the world are the Times Higher Education and the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings. Do rankings matter? Unless the school is very poorly ranked outside the top 1,500 to 2,000 in the world, it makes very little difference in terms of the experience you will have as a student.
4) Cost: You have to look at the fees and the cost of living of where you are going to live. Do you have the opportunity to enrol in a government university which offers lower fees and free education? Try for it. Does it offer scholarships? The quality of a medical programme is aptly linked to what you are paying for. If it’s too cheap, it’s not paying the doctors to give the training that you need. 5) Student life: It’s really important that you don’t spend all your time in university working. Medicine is a difficult course but there is time to enjoy yourself. Go to a campus with a lot of sports facilities, for example. Find out about the accommodation available, if the city and campus is safe to live in, what the local life is like, and the options to travel outside of where you are living.
Wherever you go, your aim should be to be the best doctor you can become.” – RCSI & UCD Malaysia Campus president and chief executive officer Prof Dr David Whitford
Acing a job interview
Uniqbe (M) Sdn Bhd administration and human resource manager Tan Siew Peng“1) Take care of your appearance. Be neat and tidy, and ask beforehand if you need to wear formal attire;
2) Mind your body language. When you sit on a chair, how you cross your legs and spread out your shoulders is very important;
3) Apply positive thinking and be confident. Be on time or arrive early so you have time to settle down and not be nervous;
4) Be thankful and well mannered. Show gratitude for the interview opportunity;
5) Be prepared for competency-based interviews – such interviews can be focused on certain skillsets.
6) Be flexible to adjust your behaviour;
7) Do prior research on the employer’s business.
8) Ask questions about the job to get clarity on the role, the person you will be reporting to, and the number of people on the team.
9) Be proactive and share your strengths and experience that are relevant to the job. Talk about the best sales target you achieved in your previous company, for example.
10) Ask for feedback on your performance from the interviewer.” – Uniqbe (M) Sdn Bhd administration and human resource manager Tan Siew Peng
Poh, Ng, Lim, Prof Whitford and Tan shared their views during their respective talks at the myStarJob Fair 2022 and the Star Education Fair 2022 which were held at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre from Aug 27 to 28. For details about upcoming education events, visit facebook.com/stareducationfair.
