VietNamNet Bridge – Valedictorians with excellent marks at some universities in Vietnam cannot find jobs in their majors and have to accept positions outside their fields.

Nguyen Minh Anh.

Nguyen Thi To Uyen, who placed first at the Hanoi Industry University’s finals, started her first working day in June.

However, she is working a company’s call center instead of as an accountant, which was her major field. She receives a salary of VND5 million a month.

Uyen, who was honored by the Hanoi People’s Committee as one of 132 excellent university graduates in 2014, has been struggling to look for a job since she finished school. She said employers wanted only experienced graduates.

Uyen heard that Hanoi’s authorities were pursuing a policy to attract talent, giving priority to the best university graduates for its state agencies. However, her opportunity has yet to come.

Returning from the best graduates’ honor ceremony in Hanoi, Nguyen Thanh Thuy from the National Administration Academy put away her medal and continued looking for a job, attending a course at English center.

Nguyen Minh Anh, the best graduate of the Hanoi University of Water Resources, appears to be luckier than the others: he has an apprenticeship at a civil engineering company. Anh finds it difficult to fulfill the work because he has to do things he was not trained for. However, he wants to gain experience, which he believes will be useful for his future.

Anh said that he, like other best graduates, cannot enjoy preferences offered by employers when competing for jobs.

Nguyen Thi Mai, the best graduate of the Hoa Binh University with 9.06/10 marks, decided to start her own business by opening a clothes shop in Dien Bien province, because she thinks she will not have any opportunities to find a job in Hanoi with a degree granted by a people-founded school.

Some of the top graduates from the Journalist and Communication Academy and Trade University said they still do not know where to apply. For the time being, they continue going to English centers or return to school for postgraduate courses.

A report showed that Hanoi’s authorities have honored 1,335 top graduates of universities in Hanoi over the last 12 years.

Of the 132 top graduates honored this year, 70 reportedly want to be admitted to state agencies, while 15 want to work for foreign companies and organizations.

Meanwhile, 27 want to continue studying at domestic universities and 26 plan to study abroad.

Tien Phong