Career counselling; questions and answers

Syed Azhar Husnain Abidi

Q1). I am doing Bachelors (Hons) Biomedical Engineering from Riphah International University, Karachi and want to ask the scope of my degree in Pakistan. Can you advise the scope if I do CSS then what subject should I choose for Masters, English, and International Relations or should I continue with any Engineering field? I await your response. (Farhan Naeem -Rawalpindi)

Ans: Dear Farhan, no doubt, Biomedical engineering is an upcoming subject and depending on the area you want to choose after doing your graduation at the workplace. I am sure you will find enormous career opportunities both on technical and management side of biomedical engineering. As far CSS is concerned it’s a competitive examination that requires you to show a very high degree of intelligence and competence in English language, Current Affairs, General Knowledge, IR, Politics and basic sciences. Whereas in your case should not be any problem. I wish you all the best in your future career.

Q2). I have done BS Social Work with CGPA of 2.47. Can you please advise if I should start job or continue my MPhil. If you advise me to continue my studies then what are the institutions you suggest for me? (Hamna Aabdul Rahim - Lahore)

Ans: I’m afraid you would agree that your GPA is rather low. I am not sure whether this is due to the fact that you did not work hard or perhaps for any other reason. However, social work has a huge working landscape and I would advise you should work for at least 2 to 3 years with a good local or an international NGO and then take a decision for further studies such as Masters in Philosophy. A little practical experience will give you better understating of your subject area and will reflect well on your CV, too.

Q3). Dear Mr Abidi, I have done MPhil in Economics in 2014 and did my Masters in Economics in 2002. My specialisation was Finance. I am a lecturer in a private institution. Now I just wish to enhance my education and skills but I do not want to do PhD as its very expensive and time consuming factor too.

Please guide me regarding the short courses or diploma relevant to my field. Business Studies, Management Sciences or Economics are my field of interest. (Ammara Shahid - Bahawalpur)

Ans: Dear Miss Ammara, I think you should consider short training programmes for teachers. These programmes are normally offered by USAID and British Council. You may find some courses that you can study online offered by institutions in UK and US. However, no short courses are offered here in Pakistan But I may be wrong or you may check with institutions which offer degrees in education, they may have customized courses which you can take to enhance your teaching skills. If you think you should go abroad then UK institutions offer 1 year MSC’s in higher education primary and secondly education.

Q4) Sir, I am doing Bachelors and I want to do Business Administration masters i.e. an MBA next. Sir please guide if it is a right decision and also tell me its scope and prospects here in Pakistan and foreign countries. ( Usman Jaleel - Peshawar)

Ans: I can understand by Bachelors you mean 14 years of education? I’m not sure why would you do a Masters in Business Administration after a 2 year BA. I usually suggest MBA to people having an Honours degree along with a minimum of 2 years of experience. Please note that an MBA is a conversion programme and professional qualification and it is only suitable for those people who have work experience.

(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)