Malaysia Short of Architects

In a country rich with its architectural wonders e.g. The Twin Tower , The Putrajaya and so on, it will be shocking to hear that Malaysia itself is short of Architects. According to Dr Tan Loke Mun, President of Malaysia Institute of Architects, who spoke to The Star, there were some 1600 professional architects in Malaysia 10 years ago.

Today, the number remains the same. Compared to Australia, which has a similar number of population with Malaysia, there are presently around 12,000 professional architects.

Malaysia aims to have 10,000 architects by the year of 2020. I guess sooner or later the world will recognize Malaysia as a place which is not conducive to produce anything good despite the ‘best efforts’ made.

Just look at the brain drain issue and the Malaysia football (’tak makan nasi ke?’), which has reached a new, shocking low level (see more ramblings by AkuBetul and Azwan). I am also sure if the country is blessed with kids who can play good football, they will too soon migrate to countries that can give better opportunity for them and make them better players. Just look at Titus James Palani, who now plays for FC Villenoy, France.

Yet, some people did well even though the environment is not encouraging enough for them to make good living. One particular example is Benny Wong who draws manga as a full time job. Recently, Benny’s Bahasa Malaysia Manga, ‘Le Gardenie’, was chosen as the 3rd prize winner in the Japan’s inaugural International Manga Award, dubbed as the ‘Nobel Prize’ of the Manga World. He was competing with 146 contestants from 25 countries worldwide.

According to Benny, who spoke to The Star, “Wow, this is so unexpected. I’ve been through a lot of struggle and I work very hard, but sometimes I feel lost and don’t know what I am doing. This award woke me up.” Kudos.

Other posts you may want to read:

1. Michelin Star for Malaysian-Owned Restaurant
2. Happy 50th Merdeka, and Being a Professional Footballer
3. 6 Hot Careers To Consider In The Future
4. The Best Countries to Do Business in 2008
5. Ramadhan Coming, Rajawang Review and New Malaysia Football Team?
6. Malaysia Short of Oncologists
7. Malaysia Corporate Responsibility Awards 2008
8. 62 Awarded MNRB Scholarship 2008

Author's bio: Zul is the founder and principal contributor for the SKOR Career blog. He is the author of two books, The Malaysian Job Seeker's Dilemma and Buat Duit Tanpa Kerja Makan Gaji (How to Make Money Without a Job), available in major book stores nationwide. You can reach him at zulkiflimusa[at]gmail.com.