Career counselling: questions and answers

Q1: Dear Syed Abidi, I am writing to you after I read the advertisement in The News regarding your expertise in career counselling and education. I have a strong academic background in social sciences with an MSc degree in Development Studies, MPhil in International Development Studies and MA in English Literature. I also have a great number of years of experience, although it is spread across many organisations. I am currently awaiting results for the Fulbright Scholarship programme after passing the GRE exam with good scores. In case I am selected I will be going to the USA for a PhD next year. I am, however, seeking a job actively since I have been out of job for quite a while and I am also seeking advice for the current and future direction of my career. Therefore, I am looking forward to meeting you whenever it is possible. Please find my resume attached for further details of my work experience and education. Please advise. (Shahjahan Kalhoro, Karachi)

Ans: Dear Shahjahan, it is good to hear about your outstanding and successful academic career. I have also gone through your CV and I’m sure you will get a response from the organisation that you apply for. However, I’m not someone who can help you with a job as it is beyond our domain of services which mainly deal in providing guidance and career counselling and help in choosing the right profession. I would like to wish you all the best in your pursuit of the Fulbright Scholarship and I’m hopeful that you will complete your research in the US with excellence.

Q2: Dear Sir, I am a recent Business Graduate having an BBA (Hons) degree with majors in Finance from SZABIST. I'm confused when it comes to making a decision about which post-graduate degree programme I should prefer. I have been also awarded with six papers exemption in ACCA but the problem is the saturation of ACCAs and BBA graduates in the current market of Pakistan. Kindly assist me with your knowledge of which degree programme related to finance or any other relevant field will be beneficial for me and also suggest that I should pursue MBA here in Pakistan or from abroad? (Mushfeeq ur Rehman Ansari, Karachi)

Ans: Dear Mr Ansari, having looked at your academic profile, the first option that you should consider is going abroad for a Master’s degree in Financial Risk Management or Finance and Investment. If funding is a barrier in education abroad, I would suggest that you find a job either in a public or private sector organisation within the financial sector and related to your choice of specialism and work for a few years. This will provide you with an understanding of the major areas in accounting and finance and will let you help to choose a career going forward whether it is further education or continuing the job through professional and departmental courses etc.

Q3: Dear Mr Abidi, I have done MPhil (Statistics) and I need your help in the selection of a job as I have been offered two jobs, one job as a subject teacher (Statistics) in a private college, and the other is a government job as LDC. The private job is related to my field and if I get in touch with my field I will be working in any university in the future but If I go for the government job it is totally out of my way and the studies I have done will be wasted. Also I couldn't grow up/be promoted too early in the public sector. My family members are suggesting that I join the government job as it is a permanent job and has many benefits when we retire. Also, I have to join college from next week and the government job I have been offered is on the basis of my deceased father quota. I am confused about what I should do. (Syed Qalb e Abbas Raja, Rawalpindi)

Ans: Dear Mr Qalb e Abbas, I tend to agree with you that with your master's in Statistics doing a government job at such a low tier is not recommended at all. Since you have done an MPhil, taking up a more respectable profession in teaching is a better option. I’m sure with a little bit of experience you would be able to apply elsewhere in the public sector and may get a job either through the public service commission or through direct/ ad hoc induction. Which I think would be a permanent job going forward. I wish you all the best.

Q4: Dear Sir, I have done a 4-year BA (Hons) in Philosophy in 2017. My CGPA is also average 2.78. After that I tried my luck in the CSS in the 2019 exam but I was dropped in English subjects. In 2021, I had done a six-month computer course, two-month import export course and four-month Chinese basic language course from Punjab University. I need your opinion on some courses which I am going to mention. Please let me know if this is ok to choose any one course mentioned below. 1) Master in Human Resource Management, 2) Masters in History or Pakistan Studies because my education background is in arts then I will do MPhil and PhD, 3) MS in Project Management and 4) I am also thinking about a Hotel Management course which has scope in the Middle East and Europe.

Sir, please give your suggestion about the above-mentioned courses or any course which you suggest except MBA because I am not interested in the business field. Please also tell me if I can do MPhil in any humanities subject like History / Political Science/ Sociology etc., after BA (Hons) in Philosophy and also what is the scope of MS in Criminology in Pakistan. (Mian Azfar Rajput, Lahore)

Ans: Dear Azfar, having gone through your academic profile, there are a couple of options that you can consider within the social science sector. Human Resource Management is an emerging area and if you do well you may find career opportunities both in the industry as well as in teaching. A masters in Hotel Management is also a good option to top up your degree in philosophy and try to make a career in the hotel and tourism industry where social science, understanding of customer relations, public dealing etc., may help you progress well.

I don’t think project management is going to align well with your degree in Philosophy and therefore I will not recommend this option. I wish you the best in your future plans going forward.

(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).