Dubai: If given another chance, university students would not study the same subject again, a study by a UAE-based HR consultancy, the Talent Enterprise, has found.
The study, which was dedicated to the evaluation of human capital, found that almost half of all students would not go back to study the same courses.
It also found that two-thirds of graduates end up on career paths that are unrelated to what they studied at university.
“I totally regret studying civil engineering and I am not surprised by these findings because most of my friends regret it too,” said Palestinian Hazem Mohammad who graduated from the American University of Sharjah.
Mohammad said he regrets studying engineering because there are no job prospects in the engineering market in comparison with other markets.
“We engineering students studied 10 times harder in university than those who majored in mass communication or business management but once we graduated many of us barely found any jobs, and if we did they paid poorly.”
Mohammad said most of the job offers he got paid Dh4,000 to Dh5,000 while those who studied mass communication, for example, were getting jobs offers that paid Dh10,000.
Mohammad believes there should be counsellors at schools and university to advise students on the markets needs and direct their interests and skills to the right major.
Jordanian Lamia Usef, on the other hand, who also studied civil engineering, said she is working as an accounts executive at an advertising company because she could not find a job in her field.
“Some of my friends, who graduated with me, ended up finding jobs in their majors, while others did not. I think luck plays a big role when searching for a job.”
Lamia said she has many women friends who studied civil engineering but purposely chose not to work in the field because it is a demanding job for women, especially if they plan on getting married.
According to David Jones, Managing Director at The Talent Enterprise and a Labour Market Economist, there is massive opportunity in the UAE.
“We believe that each and every individual has something unique to offer in terms of their own individual strengths and aspirations. It’s really about discovering these unique attributes, and then helping the right people find the right jobs.”
Jones said, based on this realisation, The Talent Enterprise has developed the ‘Thriving Index’, the region’s first and only psychometric assessment tools to help students, job-seekers and employees understand more about their strengths and personal motivation. He said the Thriving Index will be available at the Al Ain Education and Career Fair next week.
The study found that among UAE youth, the weakest points include preparedness, optimisim, responsibility, confidence and flexibility. The strengths include ambition and creativity.
