Career counselling: Questions and answers

Q1: My son got 90% plus marks in matriculation and now he appeared in FSc (Pre-Engineering) Part-I examination. I would like to ask about aeronautical engineering scope in Pakistan and abroad. I would be really thankful for your best guidelines. (Amin Suleman – Islamabad)

Ans: Aeronautical Engineering is a very specific and focused subject area. It has a very limited scope in Pakistan and depends upon further specialisation within the aeronautical domain. There may be jobs in the Middle East. The western countries try to avoid hiring Muslim engineers especially Pakistanis in aeronautical and space technology. If your son is good at mathematics and physics there are other areas that he can look at which include intelligent systems engineering, combined engineering, electronic and communication and mechatronics.

Q2: I did MSc Mathematics from Faisalabad and my CGPA is 2.62. Sir, I need your advice and please guide me what should I do further as my CGPA is very low. (Muhammad Rauf – Faisalabad)

Ans: I will advise you to work hard and try to look at doing a job for few years before thinking of getting further education. I would also advise you to explore career opportunities in banking and financial sector or perhaps towards education and teaching. After few years of working you will be in a better position to decide what is good for you.

Q3: Sir, I have just completed my BS (Hon) in Geology and I need your guidance, what should I do next? Should I get admission to MS or apply for an internship/job? And what is the scope of Geology in Pakistan and abroad? I shall be grateful for your guidance. (Zain Faheem – Islamabad)

Ans: Geology is an important and in demand subject area both in Pakistan and abroad. My advice to you would be to work for few years or at least do a couple of internships in companies that are connected with Geological Surveys, Oil exploration and Geographic Statistics etc. This will give you an idea of the key areas that are important in the field of geology in Pakistan and you can make a decision easily what to study and how to move forward in building your career.

Q4: My son passed FSc (pre-medical) and got 616/1100. I want he should do MID (Medical Imaging Doctor) from Pakistan. It is five-year programme consisting of Radiology, Ultrasound, CT Scan & MRI. We have chosen a university and this course started two years back and the admission criteria are 50% marks in FSc. He is an average student; so please guide us. (Dr Zahid Nafees - Hyderabad)

Ans: I think this is a good idea and since you are a doctor and you very well understand the huge scope of MID. We can then find a good MSc for him either in the UK or Canada that would further enhance his qualifications to find better career prospects. So my advice is yes, please go ahead.

(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).