IIUM SCIENCESS: Career Talk: Report

One question I was always asked during family reunions, was “what are you studying now?”. This wasn’t hard to answer. “Biological science”, I would say proudly. That was at the Matriculation Center, or as it is known now as, the Center for Foundation Studies. Today, when asked the same question, I would say “biomedical sciences”. But one question I could never answer, regardless of whether I was at the CFS or in Kuantan now, was “what are you going to work as after you graduate?”. This question has always caused me problems. Luckily for me though, Sciencess had just recently organized a career talk, “The Scientific Apprentice”.

On the 10th of February, at our very own KOS, Sciencess held career talks for it’s students, from all three courses, biomed, biotech and CTS. Originally, there were supposed to be three separate talks for each separate course. Unfortunately, the speaker who was invited for the biotech students had some last minute plans which could not be avoided, so in the end, the biotech and biomed students attended the same talk. Also unfortunately, we had no representative from CTS students, so this report will be focusing on the talk for bio-related students. Sorry CTS guys!!! =’(

The speaker for the career talk, entitled “Career in Biology: Commercialization and Contemporary Issues”, was Dr. Ahmad Aman, the Board Director of Far East Company. The talk for bio students was initiated by Quranic recitation by bro. Badrul Aini bin Sha’ari, followed by a speech by the Head of Department of biomedical science, Dr. Ibrahim. This was followed by a video show, produced by the students, with the intention of providing the students and speaker, a rough idea of what the students knew about their future prospects, and what they expected from the career talk.

Now, I know I said we don’t have a representative from CTS, which is why this report will be based on the bio-talk, but even so, I think I’ll share with you Dr. Ahmad’s advice for the students, which can help us all, not just the bio-students =)

First off, some bad news. Based on a current survey, Malaysia has been categorized under “technologically lagging”. This isn’t good for us. When our neighbors Indonesia is considered “technologically developing”, and Singapore “technologically proficient”, we need to pray and work for the development of our country’s technological requirements.

For this to be possible, Dr. Ahmad had some pretty good advice for all science students in general (take note now =p). Firstly, he said we need to think “global”. Malaysia is not the only place where we can work. And Malaysia is not the only place where we can make a difference. Sure we need to support our country, but sometimes, we need to leave it for the better. We could for example, continue our studies or do research overseas, and come back to share our knowledge and findings, which can help develop Malaysia even more. Also, we need to be hardworking (you should know that already =p). With about 20 universities in Malaysia, and with a few hundred graduates from each university, finding work will definitely be a challenge. A few things which could help tip the scales in our favour though, include the following.

#1. Craziness. Yup. Craziness. Actually, he meant creativity. It doesn’t help to think along the same lines as everyone else. One of my lecturers once said, in order to be outstanding, you must standout. So think outside the box. Don’t be afraid to try new things. And don’t be shy to share ideas. For all you know, you might have a brilliant idea, but it never gets implemented because you weren’t confident enough to share your idea.

#2. Communication. Knowledge isn’t the only thing which is important. Like I said above, having brilliant ideas is pointless, if you can’t present them in a confident manner. Dr. Ahmad also mentioned how sometimes during job interviews, what we say is of no significance. But how we say it, that’s what makes the difference. So presentation skills are also important to be able to succeed in the job market. So start brushing up your skills in class presentations! =p

#3. Ethics. Being students of IIUM, we are in some way, incorporated with certain ethical values that aren’t found in graduates of other universities. Dr. Ahmad said this is a very significant characteristic which some companies look for in graduates. Being muslim, and brought up in an Islamic university, the ethical perspective of our work could be what raises us higher than grads of other universities. Dr. Ahmad also pointed out that currently, IIUM grads are in high demand. However, there were a few bad apples ruining IIUM’s image. So for all future grads, he advised us to protect the image of IIUM.

#4. Be realistic. It’s good to want to try everything, and to want to do everything possible to be the best. But, sometimes this can backfire, in a bad way. Dr. Ahmad said it would be wise for us to identify a field of interest, and work on that field, rather than target a few fields, and try to be good in all of them, and in the end, not excel in any.

#5. Lastly, awareness. With an ever-changing economy, and an ever-demanding world, the market will definitely change from time to time. Say at the moment, the demand for “X” graduates is high. But by the time we graduate, the demand might shift to a high demand for “Y” graduates, with X and Y representing different fields of work. Anticipation of the market’s demands can be a huge help in deciding which field of work to choose.

Well I guess that’s all I have for you. InsyaAllah, if we work hard, and remember Allah, He will guide us to what is best for us, for our country, and ultimately, for the ummah, insyaAllah.