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When Malaysian secondary school students log onto the Schola career exploration platform, their clicks tell a story of how young Malaysians are thinking about and making career decisions
Schola was designed to introduce students to jobs across the spectrum, from conventional roles to emerging careers. The free website has reached 200,000 students across 13 states since it launched in August last year, and gives them access to nearly 150 career options.
Yet, Malaysian upper secondary students consistently gravitate towards familiar, conventional careers. Not quite your doctor, lawyer, or engineer, but not far off either.
What's more, they often select these careers without understanding what these jobs actually involve.
The top 10 most-clicked jobs on Schola are:
- Doctor
- Pharmacist
- Government school teacher
- Clinical psychologist
- Accountant
- Architect
- Chemist
- Chemical engineer
- Lecturer
- Data analyst
Schola head Maha Subramaniam said this list represents just a fraction of opportunities in Malaysia's rapidly evolving economy.
"These are solid career paths, and are certainly worth exploring. However, it is also clear from this list that entire sectors with growing demand see minimal exploration.
"Jobs like cloud engineer, cybersecurity analyst, environmental engineer, and occupational therapist, roles that didn't exist or were barely known a generation ago, remain largely invisible to students," she said.
Maha Subramaniam
Image via Schola (Provided to SAYS)Maha pointed out that the only "newer" job in the top 10 was data analyst, saying this was indicative of how students think about STEM jobs.
"When it comes to STEM careers, students mostly recognise the 'S' (science) roles like doctor, pharmacist, and chemist. Careers in tech, engineering, and maths get much less attention, even though there are career opportunities within these sectors," she said.
Schola's research reveals that career decisions, especially for students from lower-income backgrounds, aren't shaped by deep research or reflection
Instead, they often come down to what they've seen or heard about in their immediate environment.
In interviews Schola did with 1,000 students, 40% listed just four career ambitions: doctor, teacher, lawyer, or businessperson.
"This indicates that entire sectors and hundreds of other jobs were not remotely on their radar," said Maha.
The research also identified three key barriers preventing students from considering lesser-known careers:
- They don't know these jobs exist. Students can't consider roles they've never heard of.
- They lack a mental picture. It's difficult to imagine yourself in a role when no one in your immediate circle has lived it.
- Feels like "not for people like me". Without representation in their own communities, emerging professions can seem intimidating or out of reach.
This often means that career decisions are made without a long-term view of the job market or of career progression
This is especially true with gig or entry-level service work.
For instance, many students say they'd rather earn RM3,000 now than aim for RM10,000 later, which is understandable if they're trying to support themselves or their families.
But in many cases, they've never had the chance to learn how to weigh their options. Without exposure to career progression models, immediate income often trumps long-term potential.
The data suggests Malaysian students aren't lacking ambition; they're lacking exposure
Since its launch, Schola has built relationships with more than 9,000 teachers who have introduced the platform in classrooms.
Over 230 industry professionals have contributed their time and stories to provide real-world insights as well. The challenge now is expanding these efforts to reach students earlier in their decision-making process.
"Schola has shown us what is possible when students are given the tools to explore.
"The next step is making sure their entire circle of influence, from teachers and parents to peers and industry, comes in earlier and more meaningfully.
"Career choices cannot be shaped in isolation, and we are committed to building this long game together," said Maha.
This story is a personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the position of SAYS.
You, too, can submit a story as a SAYS reader by emailing us at [email protected].
Schola aims to help Malaysian students explore real careers, understand what matters when making career decisions, and begin planning early, especially for those who might not otherwise have access to this kind of guidance.
Schola is built by Creador Foundation, a nonprofit focused on building scalable, impactful tools in education and financial literacy.
Sharmilla Ganesan is a Content Lead with Creador Foundation.
