Career counselling: questions and answers

Q1: Dear Mr Abidi, I am a regular reader of your column and really appreciate your suggestions. My nephew is a student of Business and Commerce in Australia and completing his final semester. He wants to do Master in Professional Accounting from abroad. Kindly share your expert advice. (Sarmad Bhatti, Jhelum)

Ans: Dear Mr Bhatti, once your nephew completes his Bachelors degree in Business and Commerce, he can look at doing a masters programme in Professional Accounting from Australia. Almost all universities in Australia, including DAIKIN, Monash, QC offer a 1.5 years of master's degree in Professional Accounting. This would be more advisable than any other country because he stands a better chance of applying for a PR and his Australian qualifications should help him to find a job and integrate well in the work environment of the Australian System.

Q2: Dear sir, my younger brother has recently done his FSc and further, he doesn’t want to study. I want him to do any business so he may survive his life in a good way. Please can you give me any suggestions? (Abaid ur Rahman Khan, Peshawar)

Ans: Dear Mr Abaid, I’m afraid I’m not in a position to advise your brother on doing a business at such a young age when he has recently completed his FSc only.

My suggestion would be to let him complete a Bachelors degree in Business Studies so that he understands the basic theories and policies involved in business. Furthermore, he will become slightly more mature and confident and the risk of losing money would also reduce.

Q3: Dear Mr Abidi, my son has done his PhD in Physics “Photonics” from Stockholm University, Sweden. I would appreciate it if you could please guide which area of employment in Pakistan would be better for him apart from teaching.

He was offered a job by LUMS but he declined the offer on the pretext that he will have to teach from the very beginning, whereas he has done his advanced research in Sweden, Germany and Spain which will all go down the drain. He is also eligible for Swedish citizenship as per Swedish law. Please advise whether he should come back or stay there. (Mehr Faaris, Shakargarh)

Ans: Dear Mehr, Photonics is a very specialised area and there are very few chances for your son to engage in a research or industrial project related to Photonics in Pakistan. He, however, can find opportunities in teaching at a good university such as NUST, LUMS which as you said he has already got. Since he is eligible for Swedish citizenship, I think he should move his application there and look at Germany, where research in Photonics is said to be expanding every day. The Centre for Photonic Research is located at Friedrich Schiller University, in Jena, Germany. He should explore his options in getting into research at this centre.

Q4: Sir, I did BSc Electronics Engineering from UET Taxila. In my 2nd year, I realised that this field is not for me. I wasn't able to understand it. But, I didn't leave it because of the ”fear” of others. Now, I am graduated but still confused. I have no interest in my field and I can't figure out what to do now. Kindly help me. (Ghazanfar Mahmood Butt, Lahore)

Ans: Dear Ghazanfar, Electronics Engineering Degree is a very strong and progressive degree in itself. If Electronics is not something that you are interested in, then you can top up your bachelors degree with either a Project Management Degree or look at doing a masters in Computers, perhaps Internet Security, Big Data or you can even look at a degree in Communication. CPEC should provide you with opportunities to explore a career relating to your masters programme as suggested above so there is nothing to lose and I would suggest looking positive without being depressed and move forward.

Remember, that only hard work and commitment lead to success.

(Syed Azhar Husnain Abidi is a renowned educationist in Pakistan, with more than 20 years of experience as provider of education counselling services. He has represented Pakistan in over 100 national and international seminars, conferences and fora. He is a recipient of the most coveted civil award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz).