Career counselling; questions and answers

Q1: Sir, I passed intermediate level education in science from Canada. After that I was unable to continue my studies due to some personal circumstances. I am living in Lahore nowadays and my age is 38 years. Can you please guide me how I can continue my education in this age? If so, what is best option for me? (Liaqat - Lahore)

Ans: There’s no specific age or time for studies. You can study further anytime in life when needed. I don’t know your passed certification from Canada is equal to FSc or not. To make sure about equivalence of your certificate, you can visit IBCC who have their office in Lahore as well and once you get declaration, you can move ahead on your studies accordingly.

Q2: My son will be passing his O-levels soon. He wants to get medical education either locally or from a reputable college abroad. Do you think he has to keep studying and complete his A-Levels or he can move towards doing FSc? (Munawar - Sialkot)

Ans: If you are sure that your son can get A grades in A-Levels, keep him in A-levels as he can perform well in MBBS. Also, A-Level is good option if he is willing to study abroad for higher education. If he is not confident enough to get high grades in A-levels and wants to remain in Pakistan for further studies, I will suggest him to do FSc and he has to get high grades to get admission to public sector universities.

Q3: I have passed BSc Telecom Engineering degree. I am confused about my professional career. Please guide me what should I do now? Do I have to study further or do a job? (Kamran – Sahiwal)

Ans: I will suggest you to gain a few years’ experience in the relevant field before you move ahead on further studies. This can be very helpful for your decisions about what you can do further i.e. do specialisation in the relevant field or move ahead to management.

Q4: I did Mechanical Engineering (4 years) and now want to do master in management as I think it will be a right choice and it will add more value to my engineering degree as well as for future career opportunities in industry. Can you please suggest me the best option from MBA and MSc? (Muhammad Nawaz Kakkezai - Pasrur)

Ans: After doing 4-year Mechanical Engineering degree, I’ll suggest you to gain some experience by working in your relevant field even through an internship or apprenticeship. After that, you can have a better idea about what you should choose in management which can boost the value of your engineering degree. Project Management/Technology Management can be good options for you according to your interest.

(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).