New graduates in the Kingdom have one thing in common: they look for jobs and not careers. A recent electronic survey conducted by the Saudi Gazette of 150 new Saudi graduates who have either recently been or are currently employed found that nearly 70 percent of respondents between the ages of 22-25 were dissatisfied with their jobs. Experts associate the high rate of job dissatisfaction among new graduates with a lack of career guidance and the practice of finding the best paying job and not thinking about long-term career goals. “The majority of our youth don't have a clear vision of what they want to do and that is a huge problem since they pick jobs that pay money momentarily but do not lead to careers that provide long-term growth opportunities and satisfaction,” said Mansour Ghalib, an executive human resources manager. The period right after graduation is a critical time when most graduates fault themselves for not having dreams, hopes or an idea about what they want to be or how they can provide for themselves and contribute to their communities. Ghalib thinks students should be made aware of career choices from an early age. “Productivity levels spike when people know what they're doing and how are they going to do it but this does not arrive suddenly; guidance is compulsory,” he said. Another common problem is that specialty training is out of sync with the needs of the job market and this often means that graduates end up working in a field that is not related to their respective specialty. The problem is so severe that nearly 50 percent of respondents said they were unable to find jobs in their respective fields. “This affects development but we compensate for it with experience, which is key in the Saudi job market. Internships and graduate programs provide a balance between experience and specialty and are always advised. Training programs provided by large companies give graduates confidence and an opportunity to figure out what they want to do and how they can have a stable and successful career,” said Ghalib. Financial analyst Reem Asad finds that job satisfaction varies from field to field, something many graduates are unaware of. “Seeking a career in medicine or education provides satisfaction in the form of helping others but in the world of economics and finance, satisfaction comes through salaries and raises,” she said. The lure of high monetary compensation is often a deciding factor for many graduates who wrongly associate financial stability with career satisfaction. With the cost of living on the rise, new graduates are often pressured into finding a job that satisfies their lifestyles at the cost of gaining meaningful experience or enjoying a satisfying career. “It is important to enjoy what you do, not only for the individual but for the corporation itself and the economy as a whole,” added Ghalib. Hayat Abjad is a career consultant who helps high school and college graduates discover their capabilities and figure out where they fit in the Saudi job market. “Career consulting is fairly new in Saudi Arabia but it has proved to be helpful in the past two years giving students a helping hand in selecting a specialty and later finding the right career,” said Abjad. __
