Having completed SPM, STPM or UEC (high school qualification), many young adults in Malaysia find themselves with many choices of Malaysian colleges and universities to select from.
- Some would go for the highest pay jobs based on the latest salary report.
- Some would follow their parent career path and subsequently take over their business.
- Some would choose what they are good at.
Then there are some who simply enrolled in a college, just because their closest friends chose to go there., that shouldn’t be the way to pick what to study. After all, it’s important to choose wisely, as the decisions you make today will play a part in determining your future.
In this article, we want to help you make the right choices for your career path.
1. Information Technology (IT)
With 30% of world population estimated to be using the internet and the recent boom of demand of web, app, system and tech developers, a career in IT is one of the most alluring anywhere in the world.
In Malaysia, it has among the highest entry-level salary in the market with a fresh graduate earning an average of RM 3,600. Depending on the company and the type of programming you could do, scaling your salary could be fairly easy, if you’re a good developer.
Do take note that the field is diverse, from programmers to data analysts and software engineers, it depends on which type of programming focus you’ll be focusing on. To give you a quick tip, focus on the field that works with lots of data. Data is said to be the new oil for the industry, so you best get fluent with data and programming it, eventually being a ‘data scientist’.
Other than that, choosing a career in IT would give you great chances of getting a job straight after college.
Salary range: Starting from RM3,600
2. Building and Construction
One of the highest paying job for a fresh grad is one in building engineering and construction. Civil and structural engineers, architects, quantity surveyors and interior designers fall under this category.
However, there is a huge change over how constructions are being done today. The construction industry is huge for anyone with solid technical skills. Today, the new construction industry have huge demands for younger minds, where modern construction involves new technologies such as GPS-guided equipment, cloud-based applications, drones, robots, green technology & big data – all to increase the productivity, lower cost and increase the safety in building construction.
The industry alone also offers multiple career advancement for all workers. Did you know that senior executives in this field are some of the highest paid? It is an ideal industry for those with an inclination towards field jobs.
Salary: Starting at RM3,500
3. Engineering
Engineering has been an evergreen field for many years, and you’ll never go wrong choosing engineering as your career.If your favourite subjects in high school were Mathematics and Physics, plus you have a strong sense of responsibility, there’s a good chance that you’ll be suitable for an engineering degree.
Depending on the areas of specialization, including chemical, electrical, electronic, mechanical or automotive engineering, the demand for engineers is high in Malaysia.
The field you can go into with engineering is wide, If you are unsure which specialisation to choose from, we recommend that you take foundations studies to learn your strengths and find out the best Engineering field to go into.
Salary: Averagely starting at RM3,400
4. Oil and Gas
Petroleum is an extremely useful source of transportation fuel. Everything that runs in the world today, uses oil to do so – from flights, cars, electricity, generators and more.
It’s not surprising to have many imagining the death of the oil and gas industry, as more and more electric vehicles like Tesla, are built. However, to think of the industry as dying is frown upon by experienced executives in oil and gas. In their words, those predicting ‘peak oil demand’ on the basis of technological advances in either electric or fuel cell vehicles are letting their exuberance cloud their judgment. The petroleum industry faces a number of challenges, but new technologies seem highly unlikely to cause peak oil demand in the next two decades.
There is a diverse list of opportunities for young Malaysian graduates in the oil and gas sector.
Senior executives in oil and gas industries take home averagely twice the salary of their closest counterparts. This said, the entry-level salary in this industry isn’t too high, but with certain GLC companies, you’ll get a lot of work benefits that many other industries do not offer.
Salary: Starting from RM3,300
5. Tourism & Hospitality
This is a field that’s filled with contrast. It has among the best entry-level salaries for entry-level jobs with fresh graduates taking home averagely RM 4,000. For those looking for a career that will set them up immediately after graduating, this may be the career for you.
Near the same as most industries, the tourism & hospitality industry is in dire need to combine with technologies, such as mobile booking and advertising technologies. As the modern society moves towards service sectors where leisure experience is becoming a major economic product in Malaysia, more and more hospitality careers are being born.
A career in tourism & hospitality covers a range of professions associated with hotels, dining, and recreational events. You’ll find profession titles such as hotel managers, tour guides, resort management, operational leadership manager and more.
Salary: Starting from RM4,000
6. Healthcare
Doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners have the best salary progression in the market. While getting a job in an economic downturn can prove difficult, the healthcare industry that is definitely not seeing any rate of slowing down.
A fresh healthcare and medical graduate might demand a lower salary for a start but with experience in the industry, experienced medical professionals in a senior position could take home as much as RM 15,000 a month.
Salary: Anywhere from RM3,000 and above
7. Banking and Finance
The economic growth and transformation of Malaysia’s economy depend a lot on the finance industry. To upkeep Malaysia’s financial and banking stability, there’s a demand for talented finance professionals for all types of levels, from high-level senior finance directors, including entry-level graduates.
Though not as lucrative at the entry level, one might take solace in the fact that the demand for professionals in this field is quite high as is the salary for those in managerial positions. Professions in this field ranges, from jobs in audit and tax, general accounting or towards banking and fund management.
Salary: Depending on the profession, starting from RM3,500 – RM6,500
8. Business & Management
Studying business & management open up lots of working possibilities for you. Areas in this field include actuarial analysts, business advisor, project manager, marketing executive, human resource manager and more.
Seven of the top ten job positions held by graduates in Malaysia are related to business, sales and human resource. The age of digitalization has brought around the need for tech-savvy marketing and sales professionals. If you are someone who is able to form multidisciplinary skills ranging from business acumen to technical marketing skills, going into a business and management career may be what you’re looking for.
Salary: A rough entry-level salary starts from RM 2,500 with the senior-most managers taking home up to RM 15,000.
9. Administration and Human Resource
This field is not as diverse as some others on this list, but it offers a very attractive salary for top-level management. The entry-level remuneration is however not as attractive. Some careers under this include human resource management as well as clerical and secretarial jobs.
Salary: A rough entry-level salary should start around RM3,000 with the senior-most managers taking home up to RM 12,000.
10. Education and Training
Education is an evergreen industry that is growing in-demand, in many different fields. Even if you choose not to work under a training-specific company, there are lots of professional individuals in Malaysia who have gone to start their own training brand, acting as consultants or training providers for individuals and companies.
Salary: Entry level of RM2,200
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About Post Author
Michelle Phan
A freelance writer, graduated from Curtin University, specialises in commercial writing, love travel and enjoy walking on the beach, Michelle also feeds on psychology quote and will give away just about anything to cuddle with furry felines.
