Youth keen to take up career in psychology
Written by The Star Wednesday, 23 February 2011 22:04
CHAI Zhi Wei is keen to pursue a career in psychology despite her mother’s fears.
“My mother is afraid that I might cave in from meeting too many psychotic people or that I might not be able to control my patients.
“She’s also worried that I might not be able to land a job but I have asked around and there are job opportunities,” said the 18-year-old, who studied at the Penang Chinese Girls’ High School.
She said her father agreed to let her study psychology if she could get a scholarship.
In the meantime, he accompanied her to the Star Education Fair 2011 to look for institutions offering courses on physiotherapy and occupational therapy which are more affordable and have more job opportunities.
“There is a demand for such jobs at hospitals. However, not many places offer these courses.
“One of those that does is University Tunku Abdul Rahman and my father is keen on me enrolling there as it has advertised that 90% of their graduates were able to find jobs,” Zhi Wei said.
Tagging along was younger sister Zhi Xin, 17, who hoped to pick up some tips from her sister on how to choose the right course when her turn comes next year.
“We have different interests. I’m keen on engineering. Even our elder sister is pursuing something different. She is studying fine arts in Singapore,” said Zhi Xin.
She stopped by a booth to check out a foreign institution’s electrical and electronic engineering programme, and a field programmable gate array (FPGA) electric guitar there caught her eye.
The guitar, designed by final year student Ban Poh Wei last year, was made using the DE 1 Altera development and education board and functions like a guitar but with electronic buttons instead of strings.
Manager Selvam Chinappan, 35, and his wife, Kiran Dhruvkumar, 29, a teacher, were also at the fair to scout for information for postgraduate studies.
Kiran said she planned to take up Masters in education while Selvam hoped to pursue a PhD in supply chain management.
An entourage of 44 Form Five students from SMK Jalan Damai in Bukit Mertajam, set off for the fair right after their replacement school day ended on Saturday.
Goh Jian Shen, 17, said they wanted to get information to help them decide on the courses and places to study in future
