I refer to the letter Harsh realities facing fresh graduates .

I am the daughter of a simple government servant, who instilled in us the need to work hard and to keep on learning and growing intellectually. There are no prominent politicians, highly-connected families with power or money in my background. Yet today I hold a managerial position in a multinational. I, too, can speak from my heart about the reality of the so-called working world.

I recently had the opportunity to work with some fresh graduates on one of my projects. The majority of these students graduated in the areas of computer science, economics and science. Yet out of the almost 125 that I had under me from all over Malaysia, I can safely say that maybe only 10 of them could string a full sentence in English, let alone carry a conversation in one. Those that could were mostly from Sabah and Sarawak.

And before I am accused of being pro-Western, let me just say that when these students were given a free hand to converse in their familiar Bahasa Malaysia, their entire conversation was centred around who was their favorite person from Akademi Fantasia, what was Mawi's favourite food, how come Felix was given bad choices for songs, etc. Ask them about what they think government could do to help more graduates secure jobs and they stare at you blankly. Yet they are the ones that complain the loudest about the lack of jobs for them.

I also have had the pleasure of interviewing some candidates for positions within my organisation. Let me just say then that yes, good grades matter. Why? Because that is the first, and sometimes only, indication that employers have of a person's character. A candidate's grades gives an indication of how interested the candidate was in his studies, how willing was he to work hard and to study for those grades, how is she in terms of persistence, learning abilities and due diligence. So yes, grades matter.

The 'real' harsh realities facing our local fresh graduates today is the fact that they are a whiny, complaining lot, expecting to land cushy, well-paid, air-conditioned jobs with flexible tea-break hours. They have little regard of the world around them and are unwilling to learn new things, much less adapt to changes; leaning on a plethora of old, tired excuses to explain their lack of anything in life.

Hence they are unable to compete in the working world of today that belongs to those who are mature, not afraid to try, able to think, are knowledgeable, keep an open mind, are constantly learning, willing to work hard, able to adapt to others, have a healthy respect for those around them and are willing to give back to society and to enrich their community.

I am a Malaysian, and I never forget who I was once. However I would rather remember who I am today and think how much further I can go still because I dared to raise myself from the quagmire of excuses and self-pity.