From Doctor to Entrepreneur: How One Medical Graduate is Changing the Game

Let's face it: when it comes to job applications, an employer's perception of your academic performance is merely the tip of the iceberg. While an impressive academic credential is a good starting point for getting noticed by companies, it is not the only thing employers look at. Extracurricular activities, soft skills, and how you present yourself during the interview stage are other crucial factors that will transform you from a worthy candidate into the chosen one among the masses. 

In the real world, companies need employees with the competency to adapt to a complex working environment.

Knowing this, MSU developed the Graduate Employability Skills (GEmS) programme as an avenue for its students to improve their marketability for jobs. Through this programme, students are able to acquire the soft and entrepreneurial skills that companies are essentially looking for.

Dr. Salehin Kornain is the shining proof of this programme’s outcome. The MBBS Alumni elucidates that GEmS motivated him to equip all the necessary skills needed to grow as a multi-skilled and well-rounded individual.

"Being exposed to GEMS gives me an exclusive profile throughout my career. Although I was a medical student, joining entrepreneurial activities makes my CV stand out curriculum-wise, which distinguishes me from other candidates."

What exactly is GEmS? 

GEmS is a form of merit scoring system where students have to achieve a minimum total to graduate. To achieve those scores, they need to participate in various activities and events at the university. The score will be calculated based on multiple factors, such as leadership positions in an event, participation in any business week activities or entrepreneurship programmes, or involvement as a member of a club’s committee.

Dr. Salehin shared, "It’s not all about academics. We get to harness other skills outside of studies too. I joined the Entrepreneurship Club, where I was exposed to many different events at the international level and competed with many other bright-minded entrepreneurs."

Breaking the mould of “‘occupational stereotypes”’ while producing “‘all-rounders”’

MSU’s goal in producing all-rounded graduates is rigorously done through its holistic framework that includes skills, knowledge, industrial practice and entrepreneurship. Dr. Salehin notes that while he was a student, acquaintances from different faculties were given leadership roles in activities or programmes, which gave them the opportunity to develop their abilities even further. 

“What’s great is that although medical students are mostly pressed with a pretty tight schedule and have a different learning structure from other programmes, there’s still a lot of activities we could participate in. My friend joined inter-university programmes including sports and managed to represent the university’s football team. From my observation, I noticed that a lot of students from the medical faculty excelled outside of their scope, proving that they have a range of skills to bring to the table.”

In a nutshell, no matter what faculty you’re from, whether it’s STEM, Arts, Management, or Humanities, you won’t be stereotyped with a label. With the existence of GEmS, you will develop into a multi-dimensional individual that possesses many skills beyond your area of expertise.

Joining activities outside of the classroom 

GEmS acts as a catalyst for Dr. Salehin’s participation in extracurricular activities. Among the many activities he participated in, one that he will never forget is River Revival, an environmental project organised by the International Medical School (IMS) that earned a spot in the Malaysia Book of Records as the Largest Mud Balls Throwing Event in 2018. The project prompts the release of mud balls into the river to increase good bacteria that would improve the quality of the water.

Outside of the medical bubble, Dr. Salehin began taking an interest in joining entrepreneurship programmes. He participated in Teraju Sukuk, an entrepreneurship startup scheme for Bumiputera, aside from BEST, a varsity entrepreneurship competition. For Teraju Sukuk, he became one of the 10 winners throughout Malaysia and received RM50,000.

When asked about his ultimate crowning glory, he said it was winning the Khazanah Nasional Entrepreneurship Outreach KNEO in 2018—right before he graduated.

"One thousand companies entered this competition, not just university students, so it’s a huge event. There were foreign entities that joined the competition as well. Although I was a newbie in the entrepreneurial world, I was one of 90 companies that won out against the 1,000 organisations that participated and was given a grant from Khazanah Nasional, "Dr. Salehin echoed proudly.

Graduate with a promising career ahead

MSU helped Dr. Salehin discover his strengths, which aided his career progression. "Because of GEmS, I get to pass a lot of interviews and create a strong impression. Some of them are impressed by my curricular experience and the entrepreneurial mindset that I carry. As a result, I was recently shortlisted as an MO to join the first Artificial Cell Tissues and Aesthetics company in Malaysia, which is a pretty huge deal for me."

His entrepreneurial experience proves to be beneficial. He is now the co-founder of an agribusiness company called Chili Hybrid Agro, as well as the founder and CEO of Farmas Tech, a food and vegetable shop in Shah Alam that strives to connect farmers and consumers through e-commerce.

The multi-skilled doctor continues to express how attending other universities would probably not have given him this outlook because he would have been evaluated equally like everyone else.

"I don’t consider myself an outstanding student, but because I've acquired the right exposure and transferable skills, I get the competitive edge to stand out among other applicants. I network with a lot of people by joining entrepreneurship programmes, and with the support from GEmS at MSU, my network isn’t limited to medical circles. Because of that, it helps me to build my career, as I won’t be limited to just the medical field; I now have the confidence and basic knowledge to start my own business and venture into that should I want to extend my career prospects."

Positive narratives like this are common for those who choose to study at MSU. With that, Dr. Salehin sagely advised, "Join MSU as it’s the right avenue to build various skills. If I could advise on only one thing, it’s that focusing only on your academics won’t take you far in life. To excel in life, you need to tackle other areas like soft skills, leadership qualities, and having a unique character, and at MSU, you will surely build all these attributes throughout your journey here."

Want to become a well-rounded graduate? Click here to find out more about MSU, which is rated 5 stars by QS for Graduate Employability.