Carving out your own space

GONE are the days when all you needed was a bachelor’s degree to secure a job. Times have changed and as any job-seeker would tell you, it is becoming increasingly important to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately, the competition is only getting fiercer.

For example, a decade ago, a bachelor’s degree in management made you an asset in most companies. With so many management graduates around now, you need to go many extra miles to stay a step ahead of the competition.

One way to do away with stiff competition and industry oversaturation is to choose a niche area of study.

A niche course is one that offers specialised training to benefit small pockets across industries. Some niche areas are spacecraft design, winemaking, horology and ethical hacking.

Unconventional study

There are numerous benefits of studying a niche course. The only drawback is that it may be difficult to find one that you are genuinely interested in, bearing in mind that studying a niche course could mean that your career options are limited.

The good news for students is that there are niche degrees offered by tertiary education

institutions all over the country.

Examples of niche courses you can enrol in in Malaysia are gender studies (Monash University), psychology and cognitive neuroscience (University of Nottingham) and applied geology (Curtin University).

Studying a niche course can be extremely rewarding. Once you graduate and join the rat race, you will be ahead of your peers from the very beginning.

Even if you apply for jobs in a general area, you can bring a whole new dynamic to your professional performance.

For example, a psychologyrelated niche course could be valuable in a sales position. It is, after all, easier to be noticed when you are standing alone than in a crowd.

If you choose well, you may even have companies lined up on your doorstep, clamouring to employ you.

The university you study at is important as well, so choose your place and subject of study carefully.

A noteworthy benefit of studying niche courses is that there will be fewer people considered for a job in your area of expertise because the skill set you possess sets you apart.

Staying on top of market trends and developments in the area may make it easier for you to progress in the workplace.

Still, the biggest advantage of studying a niche course is that it focuses on developing specific skills across the entire area of study, making you a force to be reckoned with when you finally start your career.

General courses tend to produce jacks of all trades, but in a niche course, you can bet on becoming the master of one.

The learning curve and training period is usually formidable for niche degree-holders, letting them rise through the ranks.

Finding a groove to fit into

If you study a niche degree at a foreign branch campus in Malaysia, here are some advantages in doing so. Having your pick of the lot – You can visit different universities and consult guidance counsellors at each institution before making the decision to commit to the niche area of your choice.

At foreign branch campuses and private universities, you have the freedom to choose your course instead of having one assigned to you.

Best of both worlds – Obtaining a niche degree from a foreign branch campus usually means your qualification is internationally recognised, or at least recognised in most countries.

This opens doors for you all over the world and gives your résumé a global appeal, making you more desirable to multinational companies.

Transferable skills – Research in important niche areas are often in high demand, especially in future technologies such as nanomaterials and biofuels.

If you have interest in investigating and discovering new things in your chosen niche, qualification gained from studying a niche course can make you an invaluable addition to academia in that area.