Education doesn’t end with degree, says grad

AFTER graduation, it’s quite common to get nervous about getting a job and go on a job application rampage.

While most of us apply for positions in fields that we are now qualified to work in, many send out CVs to lots of organisations for different positions, hoping one of them will respond.

While such a scattergun approach is never a great idea, there is nothing to stop you from working in a field that’s very different to your degree subject.

Pooja Poonacha, who was born in India but whose family has lived in Dubai for the past 18 years, has a business management degree, but managed to acquire the position of human resource and admin assistant, which has little to do with business management.

“I know my degree has barely anything to do with my job, but I like the idea of working somewhere where I get to learn something new every day,” she says.

Lucky break

After graduating from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, India, with a Bachelors in business management in early 2011, the 21-year-old took a break for a few months. In October, she started looking for jobs and admits it was very tough to get employers to respond to her emails or look at her CV.

“My CV was empty, so it was practically useless. I then realised how much previous job experience matters. While at university, I would travel during my vacations and it would be tough to handle working and studying simultaneously, so my CV remained empty.”

Pooja sent her CV to recruitment websites and agencies, as well as applied online for various jobs, but her attempts were futile: she never heard back from any of them.

After two months, Pooja got a lucky break. She was contacted by a marketing company looking for an HR and admin assistant on a temporary basis.

Learning process

Pooja got a job that she’s not studied for, but that is exactly what she likes about it.

“I would rather work in a field I have never learnt before because it keeps me entertained. It’s great to learn something new on such a regular basis, especially when I am paid for it! I would consider myself lucky to have gotten this job.”

However, Pooja still regrets not having done any internships or part-time jobs in the past. Her advice to soon-to-be graduates is to never give up, no matter what.

“I think students need a little patience and an open mind to get through the phase of finding jobs after college. Even if all your friends have job except for you, don’t let that bring you down,” she says.

She suggests students go looking for jobs that are different from their field of study, to help bring out any strength or talent that might have gone unnoticed.

“Education does not end after graduation. In many cases, it begins after graduation.”

The next step

Pooja is happy working where she is now, but she does have plans to study more in the future.

“I want to get a post-graduate degree,” she says. “I want to study as much as I can because I know for a fact that there will be another degree higher than the one I will ever achieve.”

Pooja plans to raise money for her further education on her own, but she knows she would be able to depend upon her parents to finance it should her fund-raising be insufficient.

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