Have entrepreneurial mindset, students told

KUCHING: Students of higher learning institutions are encouraged to instill in them entrepreneurial and independent mindset when embarking on their chosen career pathway.

With increased competition in the country’s job market, Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah said that university or college students must be ready to generate their own career through entrepreneurship upon graduation.

“In fact, they should not be complacent and expect their dream job to fall in their laps the moment they graduate because it is not easy to land a job these days especially in the government sector where vacancies are limited,” she told reporters after receiving a courtesy call from Unimas’ Faculty of Applied and Creative Arts delegation led by the dean Dr Wan Jamarul Imran Wan Abdullah Thani yesterday.

She thus advised that students should learn to be more resourceful, creative and equip themselves with skills and knowledge to enable them to survive in the ‘real world’.

“For instance, there are plenty of career choices for students who come from the applied and creative arts. They can become lecturers, heads of department, artists, film directors or even entrepreneurs.

“But they also need to inculcate a mindset whereby they must have the initiative to explore the job opportunities available or create their own job with the skills and knowledge they acquired from the university,” she said.

Fatimah added that it was also crucial for students to have an interest for their chosen career goal.

“It is also important that they have the passion because no matter how difficult or challenging their chosen career is, all obstacles can be overcome because of their interest and passion.”