By Lisa Manterfield - Read more here.
Want to know which degrees are linked to stellar career opportunities?
Let's look to the National Association of Colleges and Employers' (NACE) "Job Outlook 2012" survey for clues. The annual survey is a forecast of employers' intentions to hire new college graduates.
Each year, many of the same degrees - business, engineering, and computer science - make it to the top of the hiring list. But why?
"In some cases companies are looking for a specific skill set unique to a position," says Andrea Koncz, employment information manager at NACE. "Computer science, for example, requires a specific technical knowledge."
Want to ensure you earn an in-demand degree? Keep reading to see which degrees are standing out to employers this year.
If you're interested in earning an in-demand degree that can help you learn about business policy and strategy, a bachelor's degree in business administration could be a great option.
NACE's Job Outlook 2012 survey found that 48.5 percent of employers who responded to the survey plan to hire business majors, many of whom might study topics like accounting, marketing, human resources, and law.
Click to Find the Right Business Administration Program.
Why it's in demand: According to the Job Outlook survey, employers prefer candidates who have problem solving and leadership skills, which could potentially be acquired or honed through a business program, notes the Colleges Board, an organization that administers academic aptitude tests like the SAT. Business classes could also give students a broad understanding of business practices that might be used in industries ranging from finance to health care.
Potential careers:*
Do you like to figure out how things are built and what makes certain things run? Consider pursuing an engineering bachelor's degree, which is a hot hiring field, according to NACE's Job Outlook survey.
Of the surveyed employers, 51.5 percent plan to hire electrical engineering grads; 50 percent anticipate hiring mechanical engineering grads; and 43.3 percent have plans to hire computer engineering grads.
Why it's in demand: Graduates in all engineering fields acquire in-demand skills such as problem solving and analysis according to the U.S. Department of Labor. These sought-after skills could transfer to a range of careers.
Potential careers:*
Computer science bachelor's degree graduates are in luck. Their tech-savvy skills are appealing to many employers, according to the Job Outlook survey.
Computer science majors, who usually study technical subjects like computer programming, operating systems, and database or software engineering, are expected to have a great hiring year, with 59.3 percent of surveyed employers planning to hire them.
Click to Find the Right Computer and Information Systems Program.
Why it's in demand: As Koncz says, computer science graduates have a particular technical skill set that is unique to that position. What's more, the U.S. Department of Labor also notes that "as technology advances, employers will need workers with the latest skills," and a computer and information sciences degree could help provide students the skill-set they want.
Potential careers:*
* Software EngineeringDo you want to pursue an in-demand degree that can help hone your all-about-numbers talents? If so, consider earning a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Accounting majors, who usually study topics like accounting basics, computer skills, and document processing, have a bright 2012 outlook, with 59.3 percent of surveyed employers planning to take on these graduates this year.
Click to Find the Right Accounting Program.
Why it's in demand: One reason for the demand, according to Koncz, is that accounting majors develop strong analytical skills that employers seek. The U.S. Department of Labor also notes that accounting and auditing hopefuls "should have an aptitude for mathematics and be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly," which are skills that could be acquired in earning a degree in this area.
Potential careers: *
Want to figure out why the economy is in such a rut? A bachelor's degree in economics might help you form some hypotheses. And to top it off, it's also a popular degree among employers.
In fact, according to the Job Outlook survey, economics degree grads have the attention of some 34 percent of surveyed employers who plan to hire them in 2012.
Why it's in demand: Economics majors generally take classes in mathematics, statistics, and finance, learning to "analyze how the seemingly simple acts of buying and selling can be complicated by factors such as taxes, interest rates," says the College Board. Through such a program, students could acquire abilities in data analysis, which places high in the desirable skills employers are looking for, according to the Job Outlook survey.
Potential careers: *
We have all seen over the years how those who had scored a string of A’s in their SPM and STPM examinations had not excelled beyond recognition.
There have been many among them who had been sent abroad, yet, there is no one among them who had created a stir when they were at those universities abroad, or when they returned to the country to assume posts. So few were admitted into the prestigious Ivy League and Oxbridge universities in the US and UK respectively.
If some of them had gained admission, surely, it could be considered to be an achievement. But so far not many or none among the present group of students who have got the string of A’s had bothered to even apply for admission into such universities.
If they had, and if their application for scholarship was rejected then surely, there is cause for alarm. But the truth is that these top scorers have only pieces of paper to show the A’s they got for the dozen or so subjects.
Yet, many of them can’t speak fluently in English or Bahasa Melayu. They could get the answers right, but many may not know what they are writing about.
If they really wanted to excel, then they should on their own seek admission into prestigious universities, where their qualification and personal achievements will be verified and recognised.
But all of them just want to study abroad without caring which university it is.
I did not possess an impressive academic record but I still managed to gain admission into an Ivy League university in New York City. The university was impressed with my academic achievements and extracurricular activities and other personal interests and hobbies. Its officials also took into consideration all these things other than the academic qualification I had then.
Yet, Mara officials still chose to reject my application for a scholarship. I had to work for a year, before I was given a study loan the following year after an appeal.
Verify here.
A few years back, “performing schools” were accorded the title Sekolah Harapan Negara and later Sekolah Cemerlang. These schools were given monetary rewards.
Not long after that, the Education Minister announced the “cluster schools”.
The reward was RM500,000 per school. Now they have been rebranded as “Sekolah Berprestasi Tinggi” with an award of RM700,000.
If one were to go through the records, it can be seen that the same schools are benefiting every year.
Most of the schools are in big towns or boarding schools. The day schools seem to be left behind.
A school principal once commented “It’s a futile exercise for us and we are fed up! Year after year, we are chasing for the moon!”
Just look at the present 23 schools selected and you will see the trend.
We can guess what type of schools will be selected next year.
For the so-called elite or boarding schools, it is plain sailing as they have good students while we toil with the leftovers.
There is no control on day school intakes.
For instance, good primary schools in “elite” areas will have to accommodate foreigners who hardly speak Bahasa Malaysia or English.
Sometimes the district offices transfer students from Band 7 schools (weak schools) to promising schools and this frustrates the teachers who have nurtured their students from day one.
Look at the big schools in town areas that have between 700 and 1,000 students and with a class of 40 students.
How can one compare this to a rural school, such as in Ulu Lubai in Sarawak, where the number of students and teachers in the school are 30 and 12 respectively?
The school’s core business is to provide a good education to the students. Giving monetary rewards on a non-level playing field is demoralising, especially if it is done repeatedly.
In this context, I would like to suggest that the Government abolishes existing Moral classes and replace them with religious classes for all non-Muslim students – Buddhism for Buddhists, Christianity for Christians , Hinduism for Hindus and so on.
Also, schools can set up their own inter-faith committees to minimise misunderstanding and promote better co-operation and brotherhood among Malaysian students and help nurture them to become good citizens and responsible leaders of this great nation in the future.
It is time for us to translate the 1Malaysia concept into reality by respecting, understanding and accepting each other’s differences and moving forward together as one nation and one people.
David Tih,Malacca.
Kudos to students, teachers and schools for yet another stunning performance in the PMR. These students had learnt science and mathematics in Bahasa Malaysia for six years in primary school followed by three years in English, enduring a difficult transition period in Form 1.
The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) is elated that highlights of the above results included significant improvements, not only in narrowing the gap between the rural-urban schools but also in Bahasa Malaysia, English language, science and mathematics.
Kudos, too, to the Ministry of Education.
This implies that after teaching science and mathematics in English for eight years to date, these teachers are now more confident and proficient in these subjects, further growing from strength to strength.
It further proves the point that the policy has not relegated Bahasa Malaysia as our national language as claimed by the detractors, and as a bonus, the application and usage of the English language through these very subjects has not only benefited the teachers but also the students in leaps and bounds.
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