Quality of Local Graduates

In today’s newspaper, there is a discussion about quality of the local university graduates. I am also locally educated but I don’t think I fit into the described typical local grads. However, I have to agree to the article.

I have worked with some postgraduates and undergraduates (internship), from local and overseas universities. Comparing the two, as well as my friends who are locally vs overseas graduated, I do find different qualities in them. I am not saying ALL local grads are like this, and ALL overseas grads are like that, but most of them are… unfortunately.

Overseas grads are generally more independent and have pleasant personality. I don’t have to tell them how to do a task. I just tell them what output I want from them, what are the objectives, and then I give them some leads. They generally can perform the task well - independently.

However, local grads usually need a lot more guidance. Sometimes it is even to the extent of handholding or spoon-feeding. Very often I have the feeling of “sigh, why don’t I do the task myself, it may save me more time and effort…”

Some of my locally graduated friends are exactly what is described in the article:

• They don’t have good personality (rude, snobbish, selfish…)
• They can’t express themselves fully in an interview, even with their friends
• They have no working experience (I don’t count those part-time or 1-2 month job as experience).

But yet, they demand high salary. Some of these friends have not been able to get a permanent job until now (nearly 8 years after graduated), and they still dare to demand high salary! These are their complaints:

“You all already earning so much. I should not be paid less than 4k, this is discrimination!”
Well, you have never got experience in any permanent job, how can you demand that.

“This job is too difficult, have to work on Saturday…”
“They are giving me a ridiculous sales quota.”
“The office location is very jam.”
“That person is terrible lah, I think I can be his boss, how can I report to him?!”
Hello! Who do you think you are?

In my opinion, Malaysia’s education system uses too much of spoon-feeding. Even the solution suggested by the article is also very much spoon-feeding method, i.e. all undergraduates must go through a ‘job interview course’ before their graduation.

I don’t think all the good quality postgraduates, local or overseas, have all attended such course.