IN an exclusive interview with a national daily recently, Deputy Minister of Education Senator Chong Sin Woon stated that a university degree does not guarantee a ticket to securing a job.
In this particular interview, he was primarily referring to the mismatch between a graduate’s degree and the demand for qualifications in the current job market.
In the interview, Chong also mentioned that out of desperation to find work and earn a living, some university graduates resorted to using their school examination results such as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) to land jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree, in fear that these prospective employers may think of them as ‘overqualified’ otherwise.
This got the Eye thinking about all those times sitting on interview panels over the years, and why some graduates simply fail to make the cut.
First of all, if the job is relevant to a certain degree, employers are looking for the best out of the lot who have been shortlisted.
Hence the use of an interview to filter through applicants.
Chong is right in a sense. A degree in hand doesn’t guarantee one landing a job. There are many other factors involved, especially after an applicant has been shortlisted.
These factors have to do largely with the applicant himself.
Any graduate can hold a piece of paper from the best universities indicating consistent top scores.
However, if they are unable to present themselves well during the interview, the best degree in the world will not do for most employers. Do not think that employers can be blinded by impressive paper qualifications.
As a matter of fact, many employers today are sceptical of what is on paper and need convincing by the applicant before they hire him or her.
It has to do with the applicant’s sincerity, enthusiasm, passion for the work, diligence, intelligence and also adaptability to change and situations in that line of work.
Those with years of experience in “people reading” will be able to pick out applicants who are passionate about building a career in a particular field, and those who are merely looking for a job.
Oh did Eye mention, the ability to communicate in English as well?
A couple of days back, another national daily published an opinion by a reader which referred to Pemandu’s findings that some 40,000 graduates are unemployed because of their inability to speak or communicate in English.
In this day and age, knowing how to speak and write in basic English is a prerequisite for any job, even in retail as a sales assistant.
So, the thought that some 40,000 degree holders are unable to get jobs because they cannot communicate in English says a lot about the quality of our graduates. Many employers also feel that the current generation of university graduates are picky and have an attitude where they feel that people owe them jobs, just because of a single piece of printed paper.
Going back to the interview with Chong. He also mentioned that many graduates end up realising that they do not make the cut when they are out in the real world of their chosen field.
There are quite a number of students who head out to universities for courses that are ‘trending’. For example, medicine, accountancy, engineering, information technology and the pure sciences.
They have no problems breezing through the courses and earning their degrees in the university.
It is when they are faced with the realities of their respective fields, either during their industrial training attachment or on the job, that they end up feeling frustrated because their goals in life differ from the directions that these specific jobs will lead them.
An acquaintance who works as a researcher in a local university revealed that many graduates in these fields end up teaching, doing some form of administrative work, or going into sales and marketing.
This is because they find that they are not willing to commit to a lifelong relationship with science which involves long hours in the field and laboratories collecting and analysing data; writing comprehensive research papers; and working towards higher qualifications like a PhD or even a professorship, in order to be recognised as a reputable scientist.
Chong also mentioned that some people were more inclined to work with their hands as a skilled or technical worker. However, the perception towards getting a vocational or technical training certificate here in Malaysia is still somewhat negative. Vocational training is often looked upon as a last resort for those who do not score well in their school exams.
On the contrary, those who can go through vocational training and develop skills are in a class of their own.
How many of us immediately run to the mechanic to get our vehicles started?
Little do we realise, we rely a lot on those with vocational and technical skills. After all, we cannot have everyone being an engineer if we want a rocket built.
Vocational and technical training is popular in developed countries such as Germany and Taiwan. Those in vocational and technical fields in these countries will opt to continue their studies after they have gained experience working and wish to develop themselves further.
Speaking of gaining experience, another popular trend for fresh school leavers in developed countries is to take a gap year or a year off from studying to experience work or volunteer in a relevant field of work, before they take up a degree in a university.
This allows them to gain experience and insight into the work they think they are interested in, before committing to continuing their studies in the field.
Again, in Asian countries, such a practice is not favourable as traditional families will see it as a waste of time. We’ll discuss this gap year trend another time.
At the end of the day, a person’s basic degree is merely a stepping stone to get to where he or she wants, and definitely not a guarantee for a job or a career.
After all, Richard Branson was a high school dropout and Jan Koum the co-founder and CEO of WhatsApp never finished his degree in mathematics and computer science.
Landing a job or building a career really depends on the person’s initiative towards achieving his or her goals.
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