The Role of Education in My Life

Education plays a prominent role in our life. University is a garden of knowledge empowering learners with vast knowledge as well as experience. Therefore, learners must choose the right courses that will give a direct impact on their career prospects and future security. Education can mean a lot in everyone’s life as it facilitates our learning, knowledge and skill. It completely changes our mind and personality and helps us to attain the positive attitudes. We must give importance to the education than other targets in life as it is the only source of real happiness in our life

In this highly competitive world, it is compulsory for all to have good education. The importance of higher education has become increased in getting good job and position. Properly selected higher education course creates lots of ways to move forward in the future. It makes us strong mentally, socially and intellectually by increasing our knowledge level, technical skills and good position in the job. Each and every learner has their own dream of doing something different in the life. Sometimes parents dream for their children to become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer and other high level professionals. There is only one way to all dreams which is good tertiary education.

Students who are interested in other areas like sports, game, dance, music, etc continue their further study together with their specialties in order to have degree, knowledge, skill and confidence. Education is a very good tool which benefits all through the life. Moreover, education is a very important tool for everyone to succeed in life and get something different. It helps a lot in lessening the challenges of life difficult life. Knowledge gained throughout the education period enables each and every individual confident about their life. It opens various doors to the opportunities of achieving better prospects in life so promotes career growth. To enhance the value of education in rural areas as well as the urban ones there are numerous awareness programmes has been run by the government. The initiatives bring feeling of equality among all people in the society and promotes growth and development of the country.

Firstly, before deciding on which course to enrol in, learners must identify their interest or which area of studies they prefer. It is crucial to determine what you are passionate about because it will guide you into choosing what course is suitable for you. However, your interest must correlate with what is called graduate employment rate. Thus, before selecting a subject or certain course, a learner can make informed decision by exploring different job sites to search for ideas on which field of work he or she wants to do after graduation.

Thinking of the job prospects the course will offer is a good motivation for learners. Knowing what the job market wants will be a useful guideline to ensure learners are getting employed within six month after graduation. This is a good yardstick to evaluate which university course to enrol in. According to reports published in December 2016, the employability rate of Institutions of Higher Learning’s graduates progresses at 1.1% to reach 77.1% . Whereas, the marketability of polytechnic graduates’ and technical vocational education and training (TVET) and community graduates is at 88.6% and 97.2% respectively.

An example of job seeking portal is Jobstreet.com. The portal has top-charted manufacturing and production sector as the top hiring industries in Malaysia, with banking and financial services the second highest as of June 2016. Other than that, these industries are highly looking for graduates from the field of accounting and finance (19%), Sales and marketing (18%) and Engineering (12%). However due to issues such as weaker currency, inflation, the political factors and of course the fall of global oil prices, the demand or job offering has dropped given the impact of economic changes in Malaysia (Afterschool.my, 2016).

Learners must know what courses they are passionate about before fill in the application e-form. This is because their passion is a key to determine whether or not they will graduate on time from the university or college. College students who enrol into courses that they dislike or in many circumstances they are forced by their parents, may lose interest in the course which subsequently will contribute to a high number of college drops-out. They are not only wasting their time but also money in terms of college fees enrolling into different other courses.

The subsequent factor a learner has to consider is the mode of their studies either full time or otherwise. Most of undergraduate learners study their courses full time, however this is not the only option. There are at least four other different modes of study namely part time, distance and blended learning, accelerated degrees and work-based learning. The first benefit of studying full time is learners can immerse themselves in their studies with full focus. They will get concentration needed for their courses compared to those studying part time. Another advantage is the learners can participate in ongoing research at the faculty which give them hands-on knowledge. When it comes to budgets, full time student can benefit from the bursaries that available in almost every college or university at a reasonable rate and attractive payment terms.

Despite the benefits, studying full time does have some disadvantages too. Studying full-time includes taking on a full study load of three to four courses per semester with your studying being completed in the number of years as prescribed by the degree (Ecomxpo, n.d.). Studying full time is not flexible and it requires continuous efforts from first year of study until the final year.

Higher education plays a paramount role in the 21st century world now. At the moment, there are many ways to enhance the education level. The whole criteria of education have been changed now. Students can study through the distance learning programmes after the SPM together with the job. Learners can get admission in the big and popular universities with fewer fees through the distance learning. Other small training institutes are providing education to enhance the skill level in particular field.

An alternative to studying full time is to enrol for part time courses. Studying part-time does have some benefits too such as learners can develop relevant, up-to-date skills that will advance their careers career. On top of that, learners can improve your time management skills because they can work towards their qualification while at the same time gaining work experience. Studying part time will also make learners less reliant on student loans which can be burdening. Lectures may be conducted in evenings and weekend classes with some day release, or study breaks. So it will help learners manage study around other commitments. One drawback of studying part-time is it gives a challenging task to learners either to work or take care of the family at the same time as studying.

TOP BEST COURSES AT UNIVERSITY

Employability is one of the most crucial elements students consider when choosing a course to pursue after finishing high school. In fact, it has almost become a pre-requisite especially in the current highly competitive job market – where jobs are aplenty but with top companies scrambling to “snap up” only the best and most qualified graduates from the thousands that pour out of tertiary institutions each year.

It is well-known that no two graduates are the same. Those who possess the distinct advantage of being highly employable have a “golden ticket” to a better and more secure future, both in their career as well as in life.

Studying Medicine or Dentistry

Medicine and dentistry are regarded as the highly employable course in the world. Medicine and Dentistry comes in at the most employable degree with 99.4% of graduates finding work or further study within 6 months.

The first reason for studying medicine is excellent graduate prospects offered by this course. Majority of universities in Malaysia reported that the level of employment for their medical or dentistry students is high within six months after convocation. For those who pass the degree, they are almost guaranteed a place as a houseman or junior doctor. This is firmly cementing their position on the first rung of the doctor career staircase.

Salary will be the second point. It’s no secret that medical professionals are fairly well remunerated. The basic starting salary for Junior Doctor (U41) is around RM 2,947 per month, increasing to around RM3, 172 in the second year. Public Service Department of Malaysia has approved the Time-Based scheme for Government Doctors which skyrocket their opportunity for promotions from U41 until U54 in just twelve (12) years. For specialist doctors, they can be promoted to U54 in just eight years or even JUSA C and above. Whereas private doctors who stay in the profession and may well be earning six figures by the time it comes to retirement – now there's a compelling reason to study medicine.

Other than that, medical or dentistry courses are combining both practical and theoretical. It is the aim of the universities aim to equip their medical as well as dentistry students with the skills required to become practitioners. No wonder that that the course involves a large proportion of practical work. Students spend most of their time on placement in teaching campus hospitals or known as university hospital in Malaysia. Placements are designed to expose students to a variety of medical specialities and gives them the opportunity to interact with patients.. For those who seek a balance between theory and getting their hands dirty, medicine may be the best option!

Even just being in medical or dentistry students, they will already earn some respect by fellow undergraduates of the university. There is no denying the fact that doctors are traditionally held in high esteem. This tradition which still applies to some extent today. More than that a medicine degree may appear to be one in which its participants are resigned to a career as a doctor. The reality is that medical graduates are highly regarded in almost all walks of life. So if you decide to pursue other avenues you shouldn’t be in too much trouble. A medicine degree will develop your professionalism, communication skills, time management, ability to work as part of a team, research skills.....the list goes on. A good example of insightful doctor is our very own current Prime Minister, The Most Honourable Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, a holistic doctor and a prominent leader until now.

The final reason would be the utmost criteria for applying for a medical or dentistry course i.e. ‘giving back’ to society. As a student and later in their career, they will be having a direct impact on people’s lives, and for the better more often than not. If you’re a conscientious person a career in medicine will certainly satisfy your sense of duty. Most doctors will cite this as being a major reason for choosing a career in medicine. This allows students to venture into vast areas of medicine as there are many different branches of medicine. One day students may be studying neurosurgery and the next learning about chiropody – quite literally looking at the human body from head to toe. A great example of a medical student that makes Malaysia proud is none other than Dr Nur Amalina Che Bakri who is now a specialist doctor in the United Kingdom in the field of Cancer and Gynaecology. She made Malaysia proud when she obtained a scholarship from Bank Negara Malaysia to study medicine in the UK after scoring 17 A in her 2004’s SPM.

Studying Accounting

The utmost reason to study accounting is because of its excellent graduate prospects offered by this field of study. According to Malaysian’s largest jobsite, Jobstreet.com students of accounting stand a higher chance of being employed within six months of graduating. This is an undeniable fact that top employers include PwC, Ernst & Young and KPMG, those are world’s Big 4 firm, always on the lookout for outstanding Accounting undergraduates to fill the places on their graduate schemes. Studying accounting at the tertiary level will provide a great chance of getting hired by established firms with attractive training programme and clear career advancement.

What a world would be without an accountant? Chaotic and finance-less!. The 7.6 billion people in the world need accountants for countless reason. From recording their business transaction to assessing their personal or business tax, giving financial or investment advice up to leading multinational conglomerates in the global scale. As long as money makes it go round, the world will need its accountants. Certainly, accountants and finance professionals have to move with the times and stay up-to-date, but the profession is unlikely to expire anytime soon. A world’s prominent low-cost air carrier’s (AirAsia) Chairman, Tan Sri Tony Fernandez is an accountant himself.

One good thing about being an accountant is one could work in any industry in the world. Accountants record, classify, summarise, interpret and communicate the financial information about a business. Thus, accounting graduate can forward their work application to any company, in any field, industry, sector – just name it. Better still, one could be working across a number of industries.

What makes accounting a sought after course in the university is its ability to offer students with real-life application. Many universities offering accounting course use a highly practical approach which inculcated the spirit of learning by doing to the students. Undergraduate students or sometime postgraduate ones benefit from simulated and real-life opportunities to manage business accounts. Many accounting courses have an optional internship training year, and with a year in industry under one’s belt which he or she will surely leave prepared for the rigours of professional life as accountants or auditors.

Learning accounting will be a key to internationally diverse fraternity of people of common interest, namely accountants. Soon after graduation, students can apply to be a part of Accounting Professional Body such as ACCA or Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants. There are some other entrance exams needed to be passed prior to acceptance. For example accounting graduate can benefit from the most culturally diverse student over 55,000 of the ACCA members around the globe. A diverse cohort will not only expose students to people of different cultures but can provide them with an international network of contacts who could prove influential later in life.

Finally, with accounting degree in one’s hands, it actually open a wider abroad opportunities. Most accounting degrees offered by Malaysian universities are recognised by multinational corporations, which extend the graduates opportunities to working in foreign countries. Such opportunity will provide graduates with a deep understanding of the global economy, experience of other cultures, and language skills. This would land them with six figure or even millions a year in salary, which absolutely really appealing!

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are many considerations to be made beforehand prior to applying for higher education institutions. Learners must choose courses that will give them competitive advantage in terms of the chances to obtain a safe job after graduation and the diversity of jobs. Other than that, other factors that influence learners in choosing the course and university are the pleasure to study a specific program, the curiosity, and also parents’ advice.

Medical or dentistry course as well as accounting are deemed as the best two courses should be applied by Malaysian school leavers in their quest for knowledge at the tertiary level. No one can give perfect assurance about being employed after graduation. So, for that particular reason, students must equipped themselves with the skills and knowledge required by the employers.

Learners must also make a wise decision on what courses to enrol with requirements of the competitive era of 4.0 industrial revolutions (4IR) in mind. They must ensure the courses they are going to select are aligned with needs of the emerging job market. Failure to fulfil the skills and knowledge required by the industries will cause them not getting the jobs they have been expecting. In short, students in the 21st century now must be knowledgeable and get all ready with the challenges of this new millennium when choosing the courses in the university.