Career and Life talk

Oct 10, 2020

SEREMBAN: The Church of Visitation organised a Career and Life Talk for youth on Sept 19 from 10.00am to 2.00pm. The event was a major success with 40 youth in attendance. This event was the brainchild of parishioner Dr Merlinda Shazellenne, parish priest Fr Xavier Andrew and Jonathan Ambrose (Church of the Divine Mercy, Shah Alam).

Five speakers covered different aspects of the talk. The first was Jonathan (Oil and Gas Manager), who spoke on Education, Career growth and Finance. He stressed on how to write a good resume to increase one’s worth in the eyes of an employer. He also pointed out the current demands of the employment market and how to equip oneself with various life skills rather than depending solely on employment. In addition, he also explained in depth about investment and its importance.

The second speaker, Dr Merlinda (Senior Medical Officer), covered Non Communicable Diseases and how to prevent them. She explained in depth about Diabetes Mellitus, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Heart Disease, and Cancer amongst our population and how to overcome them by healthy living. She also stressed on the awareness of mental health, how to recognise signs of stress and when to seek help, addiction leading to mental health issues and suicide awareness.

The third speaker, Ms Vanessa Gomes (Business Journalist from The Edge Malaysia), spoke about Journalism as a career pathway, how to approach it and the pros and cons of this option. She expertly outlined to our participants what Journalism is.

Dr Rajermani Thinakaran (Senior Lecturer) captured the crowd’s attention. She reflected on her pathway to becoming a PhD holder and provided a good overview of life as an academician to our youths.

The fifth speaker, Stephen Francis (from Banker to Corporate Trainer), gave an entertaining and enlightening review of the world of banking and finance. He also recounted how he ended up as a Corporate trainer and gave valuable insights to our youth on both these worlds.

Then Fr Xavier spoke humorously about youthfulness and how to prepare ourselves for the future. The audience roared with laughter and marvelled at the hidden meanings of life and its many ways, amidst the humour. We concluded with a closing prayer and thanked God for this opportunity. All in all it was an entertaining and wisdom-filled day, to be remembered in the chapters of the church and to be emulated (hopefully) in all other churches too.