5 Things You Can Do After Graduating College

Today marks the exact 3 months and a half that I've been spending at home ever since I graduated from college back in May. Not much have happened, just busy with preparations for my postgraduate studies in October insyallah. I've noticed a funny thing happening among my peers and I in this post-graduation life: We have no idea how to fill our time. And we complaint of not having anything to do while waiting for a job. And then, when we do get jobs, we complaint even more. 

Sounds productive? Hardly not. 

Anyways, if you're in a similar situation like me, either on college break or recently graduated and am wondering what to do with your time, here are some things I can suggest to you, and have seen my peers do to fill in their time until the next adventure comes. 

1. Get a Job (Temporary/Permanent)

Now, bear in mind getting a job requires a huge commitment. I've seen friends grab job opportunities purely for the sake of getting a paycheck without seriously considering if the job suits you and if you're able to give your best in it. Eventually you're gonna hate it and complaint on Twitter of your irritating work mates and how you have no weekends off.

If you have good planning and a good career-strategy and think this job will help you in the long run, then by all means go for it!

Remember: working automatically shifts you into the adult world and this transition can be difficult or easy depending on your mindset and expectations. Make sure you are well prepared for whatever's to come, because obviously the working life is no longer as free and luxurious as your college life.


2. Postgraduate Studies

Like me, I've decided to continue my study for a Master's Degree in the UK for a year. It isn't very long and there are reasons why I choose this instead of the more conventional "kick start an engineering career" move. My motives include getting the experience of living abroad and adapting in a situation beyond  my comfort zone and applying these skills for my career later, as well as learning more about engineering in an academic environment. I also would like to graduate from a reputable engineering institution and challenge myself to achieve something I never dared to dream of.

I do love working (my internship experience in a refinery was amazing!), but I want to study as a student for one more year. And then, I won't mind working the next 2 decades or so. So to me, it suits my personality and aspirations for my future.

This move can be hard when you're seeing your peers slowly getting employed and making their own money. But at the end of the day, it's your life and career choices, and my mantra has always been "Good for them, but not for me!" by Amy Poehler ;)

3. Travel/Gap Year

If you're not keen on starting work anytime soon and think you can live on your own for the next year or so backpacking/travelling and gaining global experiences, GO FOR IT! I have friends who are travelling all over the world in student-exchange programmes or joining global charity abroad campaigns/organizations, and I think it's so cool how they would leave everything behind and embark on that journey, sometimes all alone!

Do your research and figure out a route of plan and see if you have the necessary essentials to survive the trip. It's not easy to take some year off and it's unconventional, you'll probably be subjected to peer/family pressure to get a job and make a living. But honestly for me if it's a year off, it might be good for you and you owe it to yourself to do something for you without meeting the expectations of others.

4. Harnessing Your Talents/Hobbies/Passions

This could correlate back to point #3, but if it doesn't then take whatever free time you have after graduating and develop any skills you've been meaning to improve on (cooking, arts, music, designing, photography, gaming, etc). Think about it, this could be your last long-period of time that you will ever have until you retire or become a boss of your own company. So what passions would you pursue with all of these free time?

Like me, I have 4-5 months of leisure before continuing my studies in October, so I've spent all these months putting most of my energy into my reading passion. I've been updating my book-themed Instagram, chatting to book lovers alike on Twitter, and venturing into the Booktube world to meet more people like me and chat more about books! The great thing about harnessing your passion/skills is that you're directing your energy and time towards something you love. And you will never feel bored or regret doing all of these.

I'm just glad my passion isn't financially-exhausting, but if yours is in the 'spendy' region, I'm sure you can plan on how to maximise your time and assets to good use.

I hope you have fun with it too!

5. Family Time 

I think this remains one of the best ways to spend your free time. If you have working parents, then go and plan something fun for the whole family to do over the weekends. Seeing how I will be away from home in a few weeks, I have spent a LOT of my time with my parents and friends. Cherishing each moment you have with your loved ones will make you happier and appreciate them. 

Because this might also be the last time you have this much time left before you start committing to your work or future family. Make every moment count! :) 

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So yeah, those are just some of the things you can start planning to do, and I hope you make use of your time before embarking into another adventure in your life. 

Hope you have a good week ahead! :) 

JPA Program Mahasiswa Cemerlang 2015 Interview Tips

Update 22/8/2015: If you have been awarded the scholarship and have inquiries about the documents/contract head on over to a Facebook group created solely for PMC scholars. See you there!

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Update 15/8/2015: Results were out yesterday, to those who secured the scholarship congratulations on being a step closer to furthering your studies. To those who didn't, I wish you all the best and may Allah give the best for you none the less. 

As for me, my funding pursuits end here. Alhamdulillah for this opportunity. A winding and treacherous road still lies ahead. May Allah ease :)

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Update 11/8/2015: Results are coming out on the 14th of August 2015, 5PM. All the best guys! May Allah ease :)

Click on the photo to go to JPA's website

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In my efforts to pursue my postgraduate dreams in the UK, there comes the long question of finding financial funding to actually realise that dream. 

And alhamdulillah, being selected to undergo an interview for JPA's Program Mahasiswa Cemerlang (PMC) Scholarship is one such effort. It's a scholarship specific for postgraduate students furthering studies in local/abroad institutions. 

The interview was held on 25th June 2015, during Ramadhan season. I like doing interviews while fasting, I think it brings a higher sense of peace and you're not so easily distracted by your hunger haha. 

It was my first time attending JPA's interview for educational sponsorship. And this one is definitely a tough one. But knowing how tough the process already is, I guess I wasn't expecting much and I was calm throughout the whole ordeal and just picked up lessons from myself and the other candidates on how to perform better in interviews. So, here's a breakdown of what happened.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED: 

First, if you're selected, you're gonna need to prepare some documents: 

I found the plan of study a bit challenging to prepare, but if you have your institution's course book then you just write down what subjects you'll be taking that semester as well as the points aforementioned by JPA.

1st SESSION: GROUP INTERVIEW

So I had my interview on the last days of the session, which I don't think is that advantageous. There probably had been far more competent candidates on previous days. But you do your best with what you're given with, no? I was placed in a group of other postgrad candidates of 4 girls and 2 boys. 

We were all from local institutions, and only 2 of us are furthering our studies overseas while the others continued in local ones. We were brought into a room consisting of 2 interviewers, both males. We sat in a straight line and the session lasted for 90 minutes. 

What happened during the interview: 

1. Candidates were asked about CURRENT ISSUES happening in Malaysia and asked to elaborate or give relevant opinions. 
2. Candidates were given certain problems regarding Malaysian's current issue and propose solutions to address them 
3. You can answer in either BM/English but if the interviewer specifically requests for answers in English, you will have to abide to it

Helpful tips I picked up during the interview: 

1. Always read newspapers and be in the loop of our nation's development programmes. They want to see students who are not only academically qualified, but have a keen interest in national and international news.
2. Structure your sentences before answering them. You don't want to keep on repeating your point when it could have been concise and direct. No one likes a candidate who talks in repeat
3. Give answers that are relevant and address the issue.
4. Answer creatively as possible when given a problem. Try to focus more on global standards or national development instead of focusing on individual problems
5. Speak up and be confident of your ideas. The interviewer will challenge them, so make sure you've got a solid point and ain't BS-ing around
6. Stand out. Either through your appearance or speech or thoughts, find the one thing about yourself you can present well, and do it. 

2nd SESSION: GROUP PRESENTATION

Right after the first session, we were brought into a room with another 2 interviewers and split into 2 groups. Each group was given it's own topic to find solutions to and given 20 minutes to do research and prepare a presentation. The whole session took roughly about an hour. 

This was a tough one as they want to see your resourcefulness when working in groups. I found this the most difficult as it's very challenging working with people you've only just known a couple of hours before. This session was the part where I didn't do my best, I believe. 

But some lessons I learned along the way include: 

1. Use Pareto Law to solve problems. Focus on top 20% root causes that are causing 80% of the problem. I actually forgot to use this during the session, and mentally kicked myself afterwards. Sigh. 
2. Take control of your team if you think they're going a bit out of hand
3. Let everyone contribute ideas, but organize them before presenting
4. Be serious, I find it off-putting that some of them were giggling and joking around when time is surely not on our side
5. Never dominate the group. Bring out the best in everyone

GENERAL TIPS:

There are some additional things I found to be helpful in preparing for the interview:

1. Always plan ahead (documents, journey, outfit, etc). Havoc is not what you want right before an interview, at least not for me anyway
2. Dress appropriately, make a good first impression
3. Develop your communication skills from early on (includes improving your English)
4. Make friends with your groupmates. It helps to calm down those nerves. And who knows, you might meet someone really interesting that makes the waiting period fly by! 
5. Help one another out when possible. Cause watching others stammer or stuck for answers is really frightening

So yeah that's pretty much it. A very short interview session but a tough process. I hope it helps you in your journey to postgraduate studies. As for me, I'll keep on striving and finding ways for ends to meet. Also, thanks to the friends I've made along the way and all the best guys! :)

10 Lessons from Being a Final Year Student

And so I'm really this close to crossing one more thing on my life to-do list: 

Graduate with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. 

My exams ended yesterday evening. I could have gone out of the hall earlier but I remained to bask in the moment of the my last (insyallah) paper in my undergraduate studies. It was surreal. 5 years in UTP and all the time I doubted if I could ever finish it. I joined the foundation programme in May 2010, a wide eyed young girl from Seremban with social anxieties and low self confidence. Alhamdulillah, I think it's safe to say I have matured a lot these past 5 years into a person I am very comfortable being. 

The past 5 years have been such an eye opener, as much as college experiences go. But it is true what they say, enjoy every moment of final year in college. There's nothing like it. Just like my previous reflection post for internship, I want to do the same for my final year experience. So, here goes! 

This is in no particular order by the way lol. 

1. It's never too late to get to know your batch mates 

Final year may be a hectic time, but I think if you make the time for it, you'd be surprise by how much you can get to know someone. I started hanging out more often with a group of friends I rarely go out with, and I was surprised by how well we got along. 

It's okay to go out your comfort zone sometimes, and discover something new. 

2. Time Management is the key to EVERYTHING

You will endless endless banter from seniors how final year is stressful and the pressure is too high to handle. My advice to deal with all of these is simple: plan your time well and always put aside some ME-TIME to avoid stressing out too much. 

3. Final Year is really based on your LUCK 

Despite #2, I found out final year really is a 'luck' kind of thing. Depending on who you have as your project supervisors and teammates, it really can make or break your final year experience. But always try to see the bright side of things, and always remember "This too shall pass..."

4. Being helpful takes you far

You'll face 8-months long (or any long term ones) project with your batch mates and I have seen it get the worse of them. Avoid fights, talk it out and always help each other. Cause everyone's going through a battle here.

5. Understanding people takes you even further

Knowing when and how to understand people helped me a lot in trying to create that tension-free atmosphere in my group and individual projects. It's tough but I think this is the most crucial part of interacting with people. Be empathetic or at least try to believe that everyone's doing the best to their capabilities. 

6. Never forget the people who made you who you are today

This includes your family and friends. They supported you and made you feel at home. And thank those that taught you a hard lesson about friendship (betrayal, distrust, hatred, etc). Because they made you a better person today. 

7. Call your parents everyday (or every other day)

Because never, ever forget folks at home. They pray for your success and are always waiting for your call to just update them about your life. Remember, the reason you made it this far is most probably because of your parents' prayers for you :) 

8. Reading books really help in de-stressing your life (for me anyway)

It's not a secret I love reading. I carry a book everywhere in case I find myself stranded having to wait for someone. If you don't read, find something that makes you relaxed at the end of the day! It could be sports, music, arts, design, DoTA, and anything really. 

9. Watching Big Bang Theory is a great way to bond with friends

Because it's not everyday you find a best friend in a Sheldon-lookalike. Sharing common interests really is a great way to seal a friendship. It's been an amazing journey to meet a lot of book readers and science geeks like myself. 

10. Always smile even when no one's watching...

Because at the end of the day, you're here and doing something with your life. Smiling just means you're grateful for at least one small thing.