August 29, 2019, by Noor Syuhada
From Engineering to Consulting: Thanks to Personal Aspirations!
By, Cheah Kok Fye (Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) Mechanical Engineering).
“Leng zai, (meaning handsome boy; commonly used by the Chinese community to address male strangers), must get a job that is related to your studies or else you will waste your parents’ money…” – this was what everyone kept telling me when I was a few months away from graduating. I will leave this to you to decide if you agree with this statement or not.
The reason for choosing Mechanical Engineering for my degree course was because my parents are Asians. But truth be told, despite how much I enjoyed the course, I did not see myself pursuing a career in engineering (for personal reasons). Nevertheless, I still continued with the course and completed my degree (thank god!).
In the midst of searching for career options, I met many people along the way and they were nothing but very helpful to me. So, do not be shy to reach out to people as they may be able to lend you a helping hand in your career path. I also realised that it is utterly important for students to build their own network amongst employers because they can gain better insights into the types of jobs employers offer.
Long story short, I managed to secure a job at EY as a Technology Risk Consultant. Yes, professional services organizations do hire engineering students. There are a lot of factors to consider when taking up a job – be it the salary or the experience or the working culture. To me, the long-term gains and the nature of the job that aligns with my personal aspirations were the deciding factors. Knowing that EY is a professional services organization, I was confident I would gain insights into a whole host of industries and benefit from the experience.
So, if you are thinking of getting a job that is not what you have spent three or four years studying for, you are not alone! Cheers!
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