Well done: Mohd Badrul Zaman is all smiles after the convocation ceremony at the UTM Skudai campus.
JOHOR BARU: For seven years, Mohd Badrul Zaman Mohamad Yuneh has been working two jobs a day while pursuing a degree in chemical engineering.
There were nearly a dozen times when he wanted to quit, but all his hard work paid off as he finally graduated this week.
The 38-year-old from Maran in Pahang said after completing his secondary school, he furthered his studies by enrolling in a technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programme at Institut Kemahiran Mara (IKM) Johor Baru.
“After completing my TVET course in mechanical gas, I got a job installing gas pipes, but soon after, in hopes of getting extra income, I worked part-time as a taxi driver.
“However, in 2017, wanting to improve myself, I enrolled in a chemical engineering degree programme at UTMSpace in Kuala Lumpur,” he said when met at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) convocation ceremony at its Skudai campus here recently.
Mohd Badrul Zaman, who has five children, added that while pursuing his degree, he also juggled two jobs, one of which was driving a taxi around the Klang Valley.
He said there were instances when he had to miss his classes and quizzes due to his jobs, and his situation was made even more difficult during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I wanted to quit at least 10 times because of the difficulties in working two jobs and studying for my degree at the same time. But my wife and sister kept on giving me the encouragement to persevere.
“I am also very grateful to have good classmates and lecturers who understood my situation. Their assistance and advice really helped me in completing my degree in chemical engineering,” he added.
Mohd Badrul Zaman also said that in his third year of studying, he, together with a classmate, started a company involved in the oil and gas industry and they have over 30 employees working under them.
He said he still keeps his taxi but now uses it to ferry his workers to their worksites and as a reminder of the hardship he went through to be successful.
Mohd Badrul Zaman also said he still has plans to further his education to the highest level at UTM.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Nazihah Surati, who is hearing impaired, said she was ecstatic to graduate with a degree in software engineering.
She said her condition – including issues in communicating with her classmates and lecturers – had not held her back.
“My friends and lecturers were very helpful. Having a disability is not an obstacle for people like me in achieving success,” she said.
Nazihah said she is currently working in a financial institution in Kuala Lumpur and will soon decide whether to continue and pursue a master’s degree.
