Career counselling: Questions and answers

Q1: My daughter is in year two of HSSC (pre-medical) and her year one percentage was 90. Her SSC percentage is 86. She is not interested in MBBS, instead she wants to be a professor or lecturer. Please guide us in this matter, what should we do further? (Zahid Naveed – Islamabad)

Ans: There are a number of subjects that your daughter can take that are related to medical which she can utilise in her further education with an objective of becoming a lecturer or professor. These courses are BSc Microbiology, BSc Molecular Biology, BSc Biochemistry, BSc Biomedical Engineering etc. There is huge research and postgraduate study opportunities in these areas and also a vacuum in terms of qualified teachers in institutions throughout Pakistan. However, she will have to excel and obtain a high GPA to qualify for competitive examinations.

Q2: Sir, I have done B.Com (Hons) with majors in accounting. After it I did MBA in Marketing and did my thesis too in marketing with the title of “Effects of shopping store environment on consumer buying behavior”. I have completed my master’s with 82 percent but I am unable to find a job. Please guide me what should I do next to find a better job? (Iftikhar Rashid – Karachi)

Ans: First of all MBA is only for those who have a work experience and, therefore, MBA in Marketing you did is not going to help you in the professional life until unless you start working. I do realise that you need to find work and job that combines your accounting and marketing background and I feel sorry that unfortunately you are not able to find a suitable job so far. My advice to you is to go for a paid or unpaid internship in a good multinational company and I’m sure when you are not asking for salary most people will let you in to do a relevant internship. This will help you understand how  different marketing concepts behave in a practical environment and shall also let you develop connections and a network which will ultimately lead to finding a full-time appropriate position.

Q3: I have done BS in Biomedical Engineering, please let me know what is the scope of the degree in Pakistan? Which specialisation should I choose for master’s and what about CSS? (Umer Khalid)

Ans: Biomedical Engineering is an upcoming field and there are huge opportunities going forward especially if you do postgraduation in the areas of Bio Instrumentation, Clinical Engineering or Rehabilitation Engineering under the domain of Biomedical Engineering. For CSS which is a competitive examination and involves a high level of IQ in current affairs, international relations, politics, English literature and basic sciences whereby you will be choosing optional subjects along with compulsory subjects and, therefore, you will have to take the important decision yourself.

Q4: My son wants to study computing science from the UK. He is doing his A-levels this year and hoping to get straight A’s. Please suggest some top universities he should apply.

Ans: Computing Science is a subject that is becoming very important in the rapidly changing digital world. A number of universities offer undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in computing science depending on the area of specialisation and research. In the UK top few universities are Imperial College London, St Andrews, Bristol, Manchester and Sheffield etc. All have different entry qualifications but if your son is expecting straight A’s there should be no problem if he applies well in time.

(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).