Be self-reliant

Dear Editor,

A survey recently showed that many graduates are employed due to various reasons including demanding high salaries and the grads poor command of English. While this may be true, I believe there are still ample grads who are willing to work as long as they are given the chance. More concerted effort by sincere employers and recruitment agencies must be made to woo these unemployed grads before the situation escalated into a major social problem. The government must be seen to be going all out to lessen the frustration of this seemingly hopeless situation.

To the unemployed grads, why fret over your dilemma. Just keep on trying your hands on every job opportunity that comes your way. After all the attempts and being on the verge of giving up, hang on. There is still a beacon of hope. Why not try your hand in small business? Don't expect overnight growth. Another reason given for the high unemployment rate is due to being too choosy in getting a job. Show to everyone that you are willing to do whatever work that comes your way.

Graduates should not think that their degrees are a passport to easy lives. They should be willing to soil their hands to make ends meet and to see light at the end of the tunnel. I remember many years ago during the economy recession, a chemistry graduate turned to be a night market trader after having been retrenched. When the economy recovered, he preferred to stay on and be independent earning an honest living. Another UKM grad in social science, after having his application to become a policeman turned down, soiled his hands to become a blacksmith. Today, he is a successful businessman in his trade working along side his fellow workers.

Graduates need to think out of the box and not to be too rigid waiting for recruitment agencies or the government to help them. It would be foolhardy to insist in getting a job or doing some thing based on what they had studied in the university. Maybe it would be wise for the unemployed grads to pool their resources and expertise to work in the agriculture sector or to work on the huge tract of land still available in the country. I believe it is not shameful to even tap rubber or to become small time farmers while waiting for a rosier future. How long do these graduates expect to wait?

On the other hand, the government need to rethink on the existing courses available in our public universities. Are the present courses still relevant and needed in order for the graduates to be employed after they graduate? Do we need to drum into the heads of the undergraduates that what they are studying may not necessarily grant them employment?

Graduates need to realise that their degrees are just another piece of paper and nothing more than that. They are probably equipped with more knowledge but would fall short of practical working experience. They still need to compete with the many non-graduates with umpteen years of working experience.