JULY 2011
I'm Hit with Quarter-Life Crisis (QLC)
Han Kar Kay
Bachelor of Communication (Hons) Journalism
First Class Honours
(Class of March 2011)
Someone once told me, 'Don't be so full of yourself' because you have yet to face the 'real' world of work. Right after I graduated, I thought I was entitled to a great job but after only a couple of months, the 'great job' turned out to be not as good as I thought after all. Just a few weeks after I received my final results, I was hired by a production house in Kuala Lumpur. To be more precise, I was hired as a script-cum-proposal writer given my background in Journalism field. Two weeks into the job, I felt it wasn't right for me. But then again, people always take time to adapt to a new environment, so I waited. The post required me to prepare proposals for new TV programmes and to handle new talents for upcoming commercial shooting projects. In other words, I dealt with talents from all walks of life. Two months passed since then and I finally settled with the term that this ain't the right job for me. Undeniably, the low pay and the long working hours had very much to do with the reasons I left since I felt I wasn't getting what I deserved. Another reason is perhaps due to the quarter-life crisis (QLC) that I'm facing.
I couldn't settle down and identify what exactly I want in my life. To find out, I start to read books and journals about QLC. Apparently, hopping between jobs until one finds the job that meets his/her spiritual needs is the perfect way out for those who are suffering from QLC. Hence, merely three months after working in the production house, I decided to join the media world and become a reporter for a local English paper, The Star. Now, I've moved to Penang and this time around, I'm much happier with the environment and most importantly, the salary. I think I've found the job that I expected to get after graduation. The three-month internship programme I joined during study had prepared me well to work in media line. However, I've only been working in the company for a month now, so finger cross, I hope I don't have to switch jobs again.
When others found out that I'm new in the job, they'd always ask the very same question? "Which university did you study?" Nonetheless, my answer is always the same - UTAR, Kampar, Perak campus. Back then when I was studying in UTAR, I always complained over petty matters. Nonetheless, I would like to extend my gratitude to some of the excellent and wonderful lecturers from Department of Journalism. They have prepared me well (in terms of writing skills) to face the 'real' world of work. To credit' my final year supervisor, Ms. Por and other excellent lecturers like Ms. Chiok, Ms. Tan Jue Jun, Mr. Sam and many more. My apology to lecturers whom I did not mention because the list is simply too long. If you ask me where do I see myself in future, I'm afraid my answer would be, "I'm still suffering from QLC so I do not have an answer for you". My main motivation right now is to earn money. Of course, money doesn't grow on trees so everyone needs to work hard for it.