Muslims are no strangers to the very real pressures to strive for achievement and contribution through their professional lives. At the same time, there is an ever increasing desire amongst Muslim youth to think beyond the mindset of the market – to aspire for more than the superficial and the material. The Muslim Youth Careers Expo (MYCE) will bring together Muslims from every field and host career stalls, talks and workshops to help youth embark on careers which resonate with them and enable them to make a positive difference to the world. 

Expo Details

• Date: Saturday 10 September
• Time: 10am to 4:30pm
• Venue: Auburn Town Hall
• Cost: FREE

We will have stalls with professionals from the following careers:

Medicine and Health

• Nursing + Midwifery 
• Medicine 
• Dentistry
• Vet Medicine

Allied Health

• Physiotherapist
• Osteopathy
• Occupational Therapy
• Chiropractic
• Speech Pathology
• Optometristy
• Pharmacy
• Radiology / Radiation Science 

Engineering and IT

• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Mechatronic Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Software Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Science
• Tech
• IT
• Transport Systems Engineering

Business

• Accounting
• Human Resources
• Economics
• Finance 
• Marketing
• Actuarial

Humanities, Law and Communication

• Law
• Criminology
• Social Work
• Media / Television
• Journalism
• Literature / Creative Writing 

Education

• Primary Teaching
• Secondary Teaching
• Early Childhood/ Pre-school

Design, Architecture and Building

• Architecture
• Construction Management
• Graphic Design
• Product Design

Civil Service

• Police 
• Government 
• Public Health
• Aviation / Pilot

Natural and Physical Sciences

• Medical Science
• Psychology 
• Science
• Research

Islamic Career

• Shaykh

We will release more details to registered attendees and on our socials closer to the Expo Day. 

We will host the following talks / workshops throughout the day for interested attendees (max 50 per session):

Pathways to Medicine: Interview, UCAT and Everything in Between | 10:30am

There are many pathways to becoming a doctor. Whether it’s undergraduate or postgraduate, UCAT or GAMSAT, portfolios or preparing for interviews, there’s a lot you should know to maximise your chances of getting into med school. Hear from current medical students from Muslims in Medical School (MIMS) who will guide you through the process and teach you the tips and tricks you need to know. There will be time allocated for Q&A following the session.  

Fahad Ahmed is a current medical student at UNSW and a seasoned tutor for med school, covering both UCAT and interview prep. He’s also TikTok famous (TikTok: fahad_teaches)!  

Noor Ibrahim is currently in her first year of postgraduate medicine (fourth year of a combined Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine degree).

“I Can’t Figure Out My Degree (and Life)” | How to Choose the Right Career | 12:00pm

If you ask many graduates a few years out of university “Are you happy with your initial choice of degree?”, unfortunately you won’t get many people answering in the affirmative. Some are stuck in jobs they don’t like, others have done post-grad degrees, and still others have moved into jobs where their degree wasn’t relevant (hint: that’s more jobs than you think). All the while paying off the debt they accrued many years ago. 

The real world of work is diverse and things are changing everyday. How can you choose the right degree and career for yourself? Should it only be about your interests and talents? How do you work out what those are anyway, when you’ve only ever done a few subjects at school? What if you want a job which gives you more time for your non-work interests and family? What actually counts for getting a job in the real world anyway?  

In this talk, Shaykh Yusuf Tang will explore these questions and more. If you’re confused about how to pick the right degree and career for yourself, then this workshop is for you. Shaykh Yusuf has seen it all; working for years in big corporate companies like Apple and eBay, going overseas to study Islam, quitting his job to become a house husband (he still does this part time), and working in the Muslim economy.  Whatever you’re thinking of doing in the future, he’ll have something you can learn from.

Women as Agents of Change: Advice to My Younger Self | 1:30pm

It’s hard enough for anyone to have a highly successful career working to make a positive difference. But as a Muslim woman, there are often additional obstacles to overcome and barriers placed before them, whether from parts of the Muslim community or wider society. We are fortunate to have none other than the AMAA 2019 ‘Role Model of the Year’ Ramia Abdo Sultan joining us, to share her experience navigating these challenges and offering invaluable advice to the next generation.   

Ramia has worked for years in the legal industry, including working with the community in matters of family and succession laws, and is now a Founding Partner at her own legal firm LawBridge. At the same time, she has continued to work tirelessly in the community in a range of roles, and currently is the Community Advisor to the Australian National Imams Council (ANIC) and serves on the Executive Committee for the Gaza’s Children Fund. Not only that, she has run weekly study circles (halaqat) for young Muslim women for several years!  

Topics to be covered will range from her story, practical career and degree advice, common challenges and how to overcome them, working in the Muslim community, and maintaining one’s connection with Allah through all this. All are welcome to attend.

Principles to Die For | Staying Halal from University to the Workplace | 3:30pm

Alcohol at networking events? Meetings alone with the opposite gender? No time for prayer?   These are all issues young Muslims may face in the workplace or as they begin to navigate a path to their dream career. But not only is keeping to the halal and avoiding the haram hard enough,  often we find ourselves for long periods of time in environments where God seems totally removed from the picture.  

How can we make our study and work lives a spiritual pursuit that gets us closer to Allah? And how can we navigate the inevitable challenges we face as we try to hold onto our faith? The aim of this workshop is to give students an idea of the challenges they might face once they leave the safe environment of school, and practical advice on how to embark on a career while staying strong to the principles of Islam.  

There are few better people than Sh Haisam Farache to talk us through this. After completing his undergraduate and postgraduate studies in law in Sydney, he has worked in the law industry for more than two decades. He is currently the principal solicitor at Garrison Lawyers, predominantly practicing in family law. With his experience in the community, his extensive Islamic learning from across the world, and his practical on the ground experience navigating these challenges, he can offer unique insights that few others can.

We appreciate any and all forms of support at MYA. For our Muslim Youth Careers Expo, we have the following avenues of support available: 

Volunteer Behind a Career Stall

We are accepting expressions of interest from working professionals or final-year university students who would like to share advice, tips, insights and stories related to their career to attendees on the day. If this sound like you and you have a few hours to spare on Saturday 10 September, please fill out this quick form and we’ll get in touch with you: https://forms.gle/CeXYC2pPzzGXYGJS8

Donate

As a registered not-for-profit organisation that is entirely run by youth volunteers, we rely on community donations to cover our operational costs. Please consider donating to our cause at https://mya.org.au/donate