Defying Gravity: How This Private University Graduate Bounced Back From ‘A’ Levels to Scale Corporate Heights
7 January 2025
Shafikah always wanted to be a teacher.
But when she failed to perform well enough during her GCE ‘A’ Levels to get into the relevant courses, she was crushed.
Not giving up, she decided to pursue SIM-UoL's Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Business and Management.
“I was personally attracted to the short duration and the opportunities that the programme and course could offer me after graduation,” Shafikah explained. “I was still keen on becoming a teacher back then so I decided a more general course would be the way forward.”
Little did she know that her education at SIM would open new doors of opportunities and eventually paved a new career path for her.
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
After receiving a reality check through her results, Shafikah resolved to use her time at SIM wisely.
An extension of her passion for teaching, she joined the Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) where she mentored her juniors in Principles of Accounting.
She was also an active member of the organising committee for the National Malay Debate Conversation, known as Bahas 4PM, managed by the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM). The goal is to create opportunities for secondary and post-secondary students to enhance their critical thinking skills and improve their proficiency in the Malay language.
Shafikah’s participation in school activities was not in vain. Through her internship opportunity at Career Development Office under the Talent Development Programme (TDP), Shafikah met many industry leaders and professionals.
That was when she got intrigued with the accounting and professional services industry.
“I learnt that the Big Four is a professional services firm, meaning they do more than just audit,” she recalled.
“This sparked my interest to find out what other services they provide to their clients as I wasn't keen on pursuing a career in audit.”
Recognising how she enjoyed being involved in many extracurricular activities where nothing was ever constant, Shafikah realised that she was keen to work in a dynamic environment. She started researching roles that would best suit her passion, skills and capabilities.
Her ambitions for teaching also slowly faded as she was continuously exposed to other career options.
"The skills that I have acquired over the years in and outside of SIM such as communications, stakeholder management, project management further assured my decision to pursue consulting as a career.”
SIM: RUNWAY FOR CORPORATE HEIGHTS
While it was challenging having to juggle both studies and extra-curricular activities, Shafikah commended the support she received from SIM to be a well-rounded achiever.
“The refresher lessons after the prelims also helped tremendously as we had lecturers from the UK flying in to give us a crash course on the modules,” she approved.
She also consistently made her own notes every week to reflect on what she has learnt in lectures to stay on top of her studies.
So impressive was her portfolio that Shafikah even won the SIM Edge Award and the SIM Bronze Award – both in recognition of her extracurricular and academic achievements.
It was, perhaps, a moment of redemption for Shafikah.
“It's a testament to the hard work, dedication, and perseverance that I've invested in my endeavours,” the first-class honour student shared.
“They also felt like a great closure to my undergraduate years.”
Upon her graduation in 2018, Shafikah started her career at PwC as an Individual Tax Consultant. She is currently a Management Consultant within the Workforce Transformation team, specialising in the areas of workforce strategy, operating model and organisation design.
Remembering the setbacks she faced and the people who helped her along the way, Shafikah is committed to giving back.
For Shafikah, she found counsel through people in and outside of SIM who were crucial in shaping her thinking and guiding her through tough career decisions. Some of these people included her lecturer Mr Nageb, and Ms Karen Tang from Career Development Office.
As a grateful beneficiary of SIM’s support system, Shafikah now serves as a mentor for undergraduates through Project Protege organised by SIM where she shares her professional expertise and wisdom with her fellow juniors. She is also active in MARA Mentoring organised by Mendaki these days.
“I think it's important for everyone to have a coach, mentor or buddy who can support them as they navigate the undergraduate years,” she emphasised, describing the time at university as “critical years that shape us personally and professionally.”
Shafikah’s dedication to contributing and building the next generation has also earned her a nomination for the 2024 Women of the Future Awards Southeast Asia under the Community Spirit and Public Service category. This is also considering her championing the ‘Care in Action’ initiative at PwC to mobilise volunteers for home improvement activities and volunteering work at various non-profit organisations.
RISING ABOVE OTHERS
With her accolades and achievements, Shafikah is living proof that private university graduates can be just as — or if not more — competitive as local university counterparts.
“There’s a big shift happening globally in how employers view qualifications,” she continued. “While prestige still matters, there’s a growing emphasis on having the right skills and capabilities to deliver on the role that you are performing.”
“I personally think that we need to move away from this narrative (that private university graduates are not as qualified) as it becomes a very negative echo chamber,” Shafikah declared defiantly.
To her juniors, she encouraged them to find out what is the career that they want to have in the future, what are the relevant skills they need, and spend their undergraduate years wisely to build those skills needed and be future-ready.
“SIM is a great institution to be in with countless opportunities to offer,” Shafikah affirmed.
“Be proactive in seizing those opportunities and your future self will be thankful for it!”