CLEANING up chicken droppings for hours in a day wasn’t quite what Alex Wong had in mind when he took up animal science in university, but that’s what he ended up doing for two years after he graduated.

Wong, however, has no regrets accepting such an unconventional and far from glamorous posting.

“Back then I didn’t have high expectations of getting a comfortable job, what’s more important is getting the experience,” Wong told The Malaysian Insight.

“Now I have enough experience to last me a lifetime.”

Wong said he had trouble landing a job after graduating, but after two years at the farm job cleaning manure, feeding chickens and arranging for delivery of eggs and poultry, Wong easily landed a job with a markedly more comfortable workplace.

The 26-year-old is now a project management executive.

“Although it was hard work, the company treated me well. I didn’t earn much. Other than dealing with manure, I had to check the chicken feed quality.

“I had to check chicken feed quantity, too, making sure there is enough feed for the chickens. I also had to arrange logistics, getting orders for customers and arrange eggs for delivery.”

Apart from learning how to manage his time and handle logistics, Wong also gained some extra muscles on the side.

For many graduates, working in non-conventional jobs is decision born out of necessity in the light of increasing difficulty in landing cushy jobs.

Nurul Syahida Azizan, who holds a bachelor’s degree in finance, said she was happy to take on a job offer to be a retailer at a telco company selling data plans at booths as she didn’t want to “sit in front of a computer all day”.

“I want to meet people, learn their experiences in finance, start from the bottom first,” she told The Malaysian Insight.

The 23-year-old urged other graduates not to be picky about their first jobs.

“It is not easy to get a job. My advice is take what you can, apply what you learn and improve from there.

“You can’t be picky without experience.”

Syahida, who graduated in September and started working as a retailer in December, said she hopes to move up the corporate ladder in the company soon after she has gained some experience.

“Who knows I might be able to get a job in the company itself as a fiscal agent. We must be patient,” she said. – January 23, 2018.