Arshad's academic career began as a teacher at the
Malay College Kuala Kangsar, and then he was appointed the Deputy Director of Education in
Penang,
Kedah and
Kelantan. He went on to hold his last position as Director General of Education before officially retiring in 1991. After his retirement, he was appointed to multiple positions including Education Consultant at
Bank Negara Malaysia. He has also served as a diplomat in
Morocco, the
Philippines and
Thailand. He was appointed the Pro-Chancellor of UiTM on 15 December 2002 along with other five fellows. From 2014 to 2016, he was appointed by
Muhyiddin Yassin when the latter held the position of
Deputy Prime Minister to be the Chairman of the National Education Advisory Council (MPPK). ==Death==