Career counselling: questions and answers

Q1: I am student of BBA (Hons) last semester. In future I want to do Masters and PhD in Supply Chain Management (SCM). Please guide me is this a worthy specialisation to pursue and does it have any demand in the field? (Tariq Farhan -Lahore)Ans: SCM is very much in demand and upcoming area of expertise. UK has a one year masters in SCM following a four years bachelor’s degree in at least a high second class. Having done your masters in SCM I would suggest you work for few years before deciding to research on a relative topic.

Q2: I am an Accountant in a multinational company. I want to do LLB and afterward I want to start practice of law. Kindly guide me from where should I get degree without attending classes because I can’t leave my job. Your advice will be very valuable for me in making a decision. (Fawad Noor - Rawalpindi)

Ans: My first advice for you would be not to do ordinary law as you are an accountant by profession and experience. If you are still interested in doing law then I would suggest, you look at doing Corporate Law or Tax Law.

Q3: My specialisation is in marketing but can you please tell me which company is offering internship in marketing and what would be the procedure to apply. (Faiz Rehman - Hyderabad)

Ans: The first thing before you start applying would be to develop a good CV or resume. Since you have already decided to specialise in marketing you need to elaborate on the areas in your bachelor’s degree relating to marketing for the reader to engage. Once a good CV is written you can then start shooting this to the HR departments of the multinationals exploring the opportunities of both paid and unpaid internships. I am sure a good company will respond to such a query if you are an above average student.

Q4: I am an undergraduate student and I have completed A Levels in World History, Law and Economics. I want to do CSS and pursue a career in Foreign Services. What undergraduate programme should I pursue in Pakistan? (Zahid Baig - Sialkot)

Ans: I would suggest you go for an honors degree in International Relations (IR) or Economics with Development Studies and increase your reading towards books of general IQ, including newspapers and journals that are published inside Pakistan and internationally. I wish you success in your CSS.

Q5: I did BSC Telecom Engineering and now confused that should I do further studies or I should apply for any job? Please advise me. (Naveed Iftikhar – Dera Ghazi Khan)

Ans: The best option would be to spend a few years in industry and get some working experience before looking at further studies. This will help to build up a base and foundation to explore whether you should specialise in the same area or diversify towards management.

(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).