Kow Pei Chee
Bachelor of Communication (HONS) Public Relations
Alumni August 2008
Vice Chairman, Photography Society, 2006-2007

A majority of Malaysians think conservatively and in typical ways when asked about the meaning of a bright future. For many, a bright future means to be able to choose a field that would bring lots of money. This kind of mentality may have been inculcated in youngsters by their family, thus it is not surprising that they grow up having the mindset that money is the most important factor when choosing a career. In fact, what should be considered is the value of knowledge gained as a university student and how this knowledge could be put to good use after graduation.

It would indeed be a very sad phenomenon should graduates hold on to the idea that a bright future can only be measured in terms of money! If such thinking prevails, most of the students will choose to study in fields that are associated with wealth such as law, medicine, and engineering, sacrificing passions they might have in other fields. If this is the case, who is going to study other less popular fields like Archaeology, Forestry, Marine Biology, Agriculture etc which are equally important? As a result of career choices being based on how much money one can make, there will be a shortage of professionals in the latter fields. To make matters worse, those qualified in areas they have no passion for will feel depressed when they are unable to cope with the pressures of their jobs. This may have serious implications on their physical and mental health.

When choosing their career paths, students might ignore or forget about the importance of job satisfaction. It is neither about being the wealthiest person nor holding the highest position in a company, or becoming a prominent figure. The emphasis should be on gaining knowledge first and then experience in the fields of interest. Following this, the most important factor to consider would of course be job satisfaction and this can only be derived from having a passion for the chosen field or career.

Take me for an example; I graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Public Relations. However, I did not become an Executive in Public Relations. I chose to enter the Food & Beverage field instead. Nevertheless, it does not mean that I have given up the knowledge and skills that I gained from my study at the university. In fact, I apply the PR skills I learnt when dealing with my customers. Another two examples are my employers, the owners of the cafeteria. They are graduates of the Architecture and Interior Design line. Although they seem to have chosen a career that is entirely different from their studies, they apply all their knowledge in designing on the cafeteria they run - from the light box menu, marketing materials, and certainly the design and setting of the entire restaurant.

Therefore, the same applies to you. You do not really have to limit yourself to what you are studying. Most importantly, you should do what you are interested in doing. When you study law, it is to protect you or others from the violators of the law. When you study medicine, it is because you want to save more lives and take care of others. You know what is good for you and what is not!

To sum up, money can be a motivating factor but not necessarily the main target. You should study with the intention of pursuing more knowledge for your own interest. Knowledge can never harm or ruin anyone but a fixed mindset can. Therefore, abort such a closed mindset and seek knowledge and not money for a better and progressive future!