By Ivon Tze-Yin Lim and Kai Lu Wong
After graduation, many students find themselves at a crossroads, unsure of what to do next. Will most of them start job hunting or continue their education? Many fresh graduates face this critical question. Of which a majority tend to enter the workforce.
Yet, new norms connected to social practices or activities arose during the pandemic, primarily living, working, and studying. And, thanks to the pandemic, individuals now have realized the need to have “extra,” and valuable skill sets to encounter future employment although they have “graduated.”
Working while studying is the new norm
Future boundaryless job orientation requires developing social and emotional skills, critical thinking, and digital capabilities. Hence, working while studying is another alternative offering better workplace insight. The soft skills developed through jobs can be further improved by integrating theories and practices through learning experiences at the higher level of the institution.
Based on the report done by McKinsey and Company in 2020, one of the steps to reskilling their workforce is to identify the skills for the business model and to rebuild the employee skills. Also, inspiring entrepreneurs are encouraged to be flexible and innovative in dealing with business challenges and opportunities. As such, the “work and study approach” is a new alternative to moving forward amidst the post-pandemic since the future of the business and workforce environment is unforeseeable and volatile.
No one could predict future business trends, and therefore, being flexible, innovative, and acquiring marketable skill sets are the way to move on as conditions continue to improve. Not to forget that the pandemic has profoundly impacted the economies, societies, and communities across the globe.
Work+Study: connecting practice with theory
Working in the workforce provides opportunities for fresh graduates to demonstrate the soft skills embedded during their first degree. It is another level of knowledge that they can highlight, in other words, to transform the tacit knowledge into the expertise knowledge and skill that is explicit. In the same vein, taking up another level of study while working is an advanced upskilling that enables them to integrate industrial experiences and theoretical knowledge in their personal development process. Such a lifelong learning process further enhances the fresh graduate life of self-fulfillment.
Throughout the working cum learning approach, they can broaden their consciousness and genuinely create an exciting multidimensional life through academic learning, industrial adventure, and social engagement.
Dr. Ivon Tze-Yin Lim is currently the Course Director for the Postgraduate Program under the School of Business, Swinburne Sarawak. She had extensive industrial experience with local and multinational companies before joining the educational institution in 2015. Her expertise is in the area of generational marketing, management, and qualitative research.
Kai Lu Wong is currently an Accounting and Finance lecturer for the undergraduate program and ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) accelerate program under the School of Business, Swinburne Sarawak. Her areas of expertise include financial management, financial reporting and auditing. She is also a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and Asean Chartered Professional Accountants (ACPA).