New engineers quick to construct career paths
▶ As 400 Khalifa University students donned the robes yesterday, many already had jobs
More than 400 Khalifa University students graduated yesterday at a ceremony held at Emirates Palace hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Electrical engineers with bachelor’s degrees and those with doctorates in artificial intelligence packed out the venue.
Proud families looked on as university officials acknowledged the graduates’ hard work and dedication.
Several graduates told The National that they were already employed, with their degrees from one of the country’s top universities proving invaluable.
However, others described their efforts at finding jobs after completing their studies as tough.
“I think it’s been difficult for engineers to find jobs,” said Heba Tariq, 23, a Pakistani student who studied electrical engineering at Khalifa University.
“The industry is improving right now, and there are more opportunities than there used to be but, it is a challenge to get noticed.”
Khalifa University was ranked second in the country according to The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2020, beaten only by UAE University in Al Ain.
The survey also ranked the university in the top 400 institutions worldwide.
Ms Tariq revealed it had taken her seven months of committed searching to find work as a graduate engineer at an energy company. But she encouraged her contemporaries to remain upbeat, emphasising that they should be “proactive, approach people and constantly keep learning”.
“For this job, I applied in February and only started work in October,” she said.
“Many of my peers did not get offers they liked and opted to complete their master’s studies.”
Khalifa University’s engineering and technology programmes are ranked top in the UAE and second in the Mena region.
Abdula Fawzy, 23, from Jordan, said he had completed his bachelor’s in electrical and computer engineering and is now studying for a master’s in engineering, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence.
“I know the current job market is not doing well for fresh graduates,” he said.
“I read some companies are looking for master’s graduates and I wanted to improve my job options. It is not easy to get a nice job with good pay. There is a lot of competition.”
A survey of more than 450 UAE graduates conducted in May by Oliv, a Dubai recruitment agency, found that some employers in the Emirates were looking beyond grades when hiring new recruits.
More than 50 per cent of respondents said they had got jobs prior to graduating, suggesting companies were less concerned about exam marks.
Additionally, 43 per cent of students said they were confident they would find work locally within a year of graduating.
Abdalla Al Maeeni, 24, an Emirati student who completed his bachelor’s in petroleum engineering, said he was hoping to find work in the government sector.
He said the higher salaries and job security offered by the sector had shaped his thinking.
“My interest is to work in the field and not in the office,” he said. “I want to work in the public sector as this will allow me to get this experience. If I join the private sector, I won’t get the chance to do field work.”
Ahmed Al Zaabi, 23, an Emirati from Sharjah, said he had finished his four-year bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering and had already found a job in the government sector.
“I chose to work in the government sector because I think the benefits are higher than in the private sector,” he said.
“The main benefit is that the job is more secure than in the private sector.”