THE current recession will throw up three types of young graduates, said labour chief Lim Swee Say yesterday.

They are: victims who cannot adapt to new jobs, survivors who work simply for the pay, and winners who give of their best in any job.

Citing himself, Mr Lim told new graduates at a job fair that his dream job was to be a mathematics professor. But the SAF scholarship he took did not allow him to pursue his dream.

'I said, well, my dream job is not available to me. I will find a second dream, which turned out to be more rewarding.'

He spent eight years in the Defence Ministry, seven at the National Computer Board, five at the Economic Development Board, nearly three in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and four in the Environment Ministry. In 2007, he became the NTUC's secretary-general.

In all these, he said he gave his 'very best', noting: 'When you take on your challenges wholeheartedly, one door will lead to another and you will never know where life would take you to.'

Noting there may be fewer jobs and lower pay, he encouraged young graduates to seize existing opportunities. He cautioned them against being fussy, as they could end up as jobless 'victims'. Those keen only to secure the highest starting pay would be 'survivors', he said, unlikely to do exceptionally well as their heart is not in the job. And when the slump is over, they would leave to find another job.

'They have not wasted the one to two years, but they have not turned the one to two years to their maximum benefit,' he added.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.