In Kuala Lumpur

YOUNG graduates in Malaysia often lament about the difficulties they face in looking for a job - even when the economy was booming.

But there's usually a common reason for their complaints - they can't get the job that is within their field of studies.

This will become a more frequent thing for graduates, now that there is a global economic crisis.

Although there are some who are willing to take up jobs that involve skills outside their degrees, there are also those who are determined to get the ideal job.

With the current situation heading towards an economic downturn in the country, degree holders must be quick to see that they must no longer be choosy when applying for jobs.

Foreign wire services AFP recently reported that a scientist with a doctorate in physics in Seoul, South Korea, was forced to apply for a job as a road sweeper because of the rising unemployment.

The report also said that the 36-year-old scientist was among 63 people who applied for the job - of whom 11 were university graduates.

Such an example should be a wake-up call to all local and overseas graduates. Perhaps it is time for those who think that graduates deserve only "higher-class" jobs, to drop such a mentality.