Job Vacancies And Jobs Search In Malaysia : Allyhunt

“Basic qualification requirement is at least a degree or equivalent” – a line so familiar in job opening ads. No wonder people are scurrying to get a Degree, as though without one, the future is doomed to be bleak.

On the other hand, we also have an interesting problem. Datuk Dr Mohamad Shahrum Osman, the Member of Parliament for Lipis, Pahang, a former lecturer at Institut Aminuddin Baki who once served as Assistant Director of the Teacher Education Division of the Education Ministry has recently mentioned in the Parliament of Malaysia that there is a glut of degrees that has no relevance in the job market. He further quoted that it’s the quality and not the quantity that matters. So, does that mean we should not encourage students to aspire high and aim for tertiary education? As he aptly put it, “not all are suited for an academic environment”. In other words, some are better off honing some vocational skills that are still employable in which a degree is not required. A person cannot be forced to study – if they only focus on graduating but do not think beyond graduating, then it is better for them not to take up a degree.

In fact, we are seeing more evidence of graduates having to settle for jobs that are far from what we traditionally thought as graduate careers. Shocking? Nonetheless, a degree is still being pursued by many because most believed the careers can be developed further even though the starting position and salary may be the same as someone that holds a Diploma or lower qualifications. I think this is comforting news but when graduates start to justify the investment they have made in higher education, disappointment sets in.

On last Saturday (Nov 24th), Allyhunt team was at Segi College and witnessed the convocation of more than 100 graduates from the University of Sunderland, UK, a university partner of Segi College.

A majority of the graduates were already employed and many had actually taken the degree on a part-time basis. For this category of graduates, the pursuit of a degree course that is relevant to the job makes so much more sense than those that do not have an inkling of what the degree holds for them in the market place.

For the employers, there is no better time to recruit graduates than now. But, as there are many to choose from nowadays, employers no longer put a high premium on a mere degree paper qualification. Other criteria such as personal qualities, proactive attitude and innovativeness are viewed as more important factors in the hiring process.

So, is degree still the best weapon in a jobseeker’s armoury?