Career counselling; questions and answers

Q: I have done BSc Chemistry and then a two-year Master's in Organic Chemistry. I wish to do an MS in Applied Chemistry from abroad what would you suggest me? (Zubair Ahmed, Quetta)

A: I think you have studied Chemistry for enough time and doing another Master's will not help you in advancement of your career from abroad. I would suggest you look at some emerging areas that connect your current degree and will help you open up new career prospects, one of these degrees could be MSc DNA analysis or MSc DNA & Biometrics. 

Q: I am a lawyer by profession having done my LLB but despite hard work I failed to become a successful lawyer, maybe I am not competent to attract clients or able to make up stories towards a successful case. I want to change my profession either towards business or anything related but not as a practicing lawyer.  (Naeem Khan, Lahore)

A: Since you are already a lawyer and understand legal aspects of crime and have studied several subjects to achieve a law degree. My suggestion to you would be to do a Master's in Cybercrimes which is an upcoming field and  requires basic knowledge of computing along with some subjects that relate to crimes committed over the Internet. I am sure you will find better opportunities in public and private sectors in Pakistan and abroad. 

Q: I have done my M.Com and have been serving in NDMA as assistant manager in the finance and accounts section. However, I want to become a professional, what is your advice for me in finding such a career. (Sumair Rizwan, Karachi)

A: Since you are already working with a well known government agency in Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority, I would suggest you look at doing a diploma or masters in disaster management, crises management or rehabilitation and connect your experience of NDMA to find better opportunities as a professional in the area of disaster management.

Q: My son is doing his O-levels and has taken all science subjects, he is planning to do medicine in the future should he go for A-levels or switch to the FSc/Intermediate system so that he can get admission into a good medical university in Pakistan. (Mrs. Zakria, Lahore)

A: If your son plans to study medicine in Pakistan it is advisable that he switches to the FSc system whether from provincial or federal board. As you are aware the medical university entrance exams and the IBCC equivalence are more inclined towards the FSc marks and grades and FSc students are more likely to get better marks and qualify for entry to a medical university. This is subject to your student working really hard to achieve a good percentage if he does his O-levels in good grades. 

(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 the recipient of the most coveted civil award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz).