Berita Kampus

TARCians Who Blaze the Entrepreneur's Trail

For many graduates, applying for a job is the next obvious step after completing their studies. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that most TARCians graduate and build their future as engineers, accountants, builders, journalists, members of academia, and other "mainstream" jobs. .

However, there is a segment of graduates who have chosen not to tread down the beaten path. They have carved a niche for themselves in entrepreneurial endeavours, "becoming their own boss", so to speak.

One such brave soul is Mr Alphonse Law. Law pursued his Bachelor of Science (Zoology and Chemistry) at TAR College back in 1979. He has chosen a very interesting way to apply his knowledge by running a thriving prawn farm in Balik Pulau, Pulau Pinang which he manages with the help of five staff. .

When asked about the secret of his success, the very modest Law responded that hard work and adaptability are the two indispensable ingredients of success. "Initially, I reared fish as well as prawns but I found that the prawn market is more lucrative. I then switched to rearing two types of prawns, the white and the tiger prawns. My degree in Zoology and Chemistry was very useful as the prawn feed has to be scientifically prepared, the oxygen level and temperature in the ponds have to be monitored and controlled," said Law.

Does his degree teach him how to handle and catch the hyperactive prawns which jump up at every opportunity? "Ah, that part is easy, I just need to drain the ponds and the staff and I will scoop them into buckets to be sold fresh to the buyers," Law quipped with a toothy smile.

From the watery farms of Balik Pulau, we proceeded to the next stop where we met Mr Khor Chong Meng, a Bachelor of Science (Biology and Chemistry) graduate who has chosen an altogether different kind of farming.

Mr Alphonse Law (2nd from right) explaining how the prawns are harvested.

He owns and manages a chicken farm, or to be more precise, a "layer" chicken farm. At a layer chicken farm, chickens are bred to lay eggs, hence the term "layer", and do not end up in the snack plate that you order at KFC.

At the farm, we were greeted by the loud clucking sounds from endless rows of chicken (more than 30,000, we were told). "These chickens are voracious feeders as they can consume one ton of feed daily," explained Khor. "That's the weight of a small lorry. The bounty is good though as these chickens lay a total of 10,000,000 eggs a year. They have a relatively short lifespan of 80 weeks."

Secret of success?? "It's not only hard work but one also needs to understand nutrition and animal health, and keep predators such as snakes, rats and monkeys away from the chickens," Khor said. "Although certain aspects of chicken farming are learnt on-the-job, my degree has helped me to understand the nutritional needs and animal health aspects of chicken rearing."

We can sum up that the entrepreneurial path is a rewarding one, but knowledge and hard work are vital ingredients for any aspiring entrepreneur.

Berita Kampus is a publication of the Department of Development and External Relations of TAR College (the Publisher). No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – electronic or mechanical including but not limited to recording, taping, or information storage or retrieval systems – without prior permission of the Publisher. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information published, the Publisher shall not be held responsible for any errors and or omission therein.