PETALING JAYA – There has been a misconception by many Malaysians that a university degree will easily land them a job, said Universiti Utara Malaysia economics professor K. Kuperan Viswanathan.
He said a degree is not a surefire way to securing a high-paying job but a means for a graduate to get a job.
He said university is meant to give students the tools they need to tackle challenges in life.
“Not every university degree will ensure a graduate gets a high-paying job or even a job.
“A degree merely improves the chances of getting a job, because it helps a graduate improve his human capital…but it does not guarantee a job.”
He said getting a job after graduating from university will depend on the state of the economy and where the person is based.
Kuperan said a university degree is one of the many pathways to getting a job, while a technical education will usually ensure a person has a job.
“Technical education is geared towards specific training and education, and it is based on jobs that are in demand at the technical level.
“Technical education is based on skills wanted by a particular industry.”
He said a degree prepares a graduate with the knowledge and know-how for a higher level job, but it does not mean the particular sector will have jobs available.
Industry-dependent
Similarly, economics professor Yeah Kim Leng said graduates need to realise that while a degree is a feasible pathway to a job, it does not guarantee one.
Technical education, on the other hand, is aimed at guaranteeing jobs based on the demand of a particular industry, he said.
The Sunway University academic added that while going to university in general will give graduates an economic edge to improve their standard of living, not all degrees meet criteria set by certain industries.
An “unwanted” degree, said Yeah, will lead to a person being underemployed, affecting his earning capacity and living standard.
On the other hand, he observed that there are even medical graduates who have been waiting for over a year for a posting due to oversupply.
“There has been a misallocation of resources in a sense in Malaysia. Every graduate assumes that after graduation, there will be a job available.
“If the economy is facing trouble, graduates will be in the same boat, as everyone else who are looking for jobs.
“A job a graduate gets will depend on industry needs, not on a degree a person has.” – The Vibes, September 15, 2023
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