DOLE to high school grads: Try ‘unpopular’ professions

Manila, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday appealed to graduating high school students and those who have yet to enroll in college to try “unpopular” courses.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said students should try and pursue degrees in interior design and veterinary medicine, two jobs that are highly in demand but hard to fill.

Baldoz said demand is high and still expected to go up for interior designers amid the booming construction, hotel and restaurant, real estate and tourism industries in the country.

“There is also a demand for interior designers in Middle East, US and Europe because of the rise in construction and design activities in these countries. They also have high regard for interior designers as well as architects and engineers,” she said.

Baldoz said graduating high school students who are creative, imaginative, and have the ability to turn their artistic ideas into reality might consider taking an interior design course.

She said a four-year course in interior design normally costs around P35,000 to P45,000 per semester in private schools and universities, but the tuition is 20 to 40 percent less in public education institutions.

According to Baldoz, an interior designer may get P20,000 to P50,000 per project, and this may go up to P100,000, depending on the complexity of the project.

She also said veterinarians are one of the positions that are in demand in agribusiness. Based on data from the Professional Regulation Commission, there are only 7,782 licensed veterinarians in the country at the moment.

To become a veterinarian, one must take up a veterinary medicine course which costs around P25,000 to P35,000 per semester in private universities and around P5,000 to P10,000 in public institutions.

Baldoz said there are a variety of opportunities for a veterinarian in the academe and in research firms aside from their regular function of treating animals’ health problems.

A veterinarian’s entry level salary ranges from P15,000 to P20,000 a month and may even go up to P25,000 per month for those highly trained. Those who have small private clinics charge a consultation fee that ranges from P100 to P250. –Mayen Jaymalin The Philippine Star