Career counselling; questions and answers

Q1: Dear sir, I got 71 percent marks in FSc (Pre-Engineering) one year ago. Now I want to continue my studies but I am confused about course, university etc. Please guide me about the best option to choose. I will be grateful if you can guide me which university is good option for me as well. (Noreen – Gujrat)

Ans: Firstly, you have to decide what subjects you are interested in, what degree you want to get and you want to study in country or abroad. Secondly, it depends on where you live in Pakistan if you want to study in your country, what is your financial background etc. So I would like you to let me know all these things before I can advise you for a suitable course, degree and university.

Q2: I did MBA (HR) with 2.7 CGPA and now willing to do job. Please guide me about the best option for my professional career going forward. (Saima – Multan)

Ans: I will suggest you to move ahead towards the Human Resource field as you did master degree in this area. Being in HR, you can learn more about marketing, finance, decision making and other relative matters of business. If you are unable to find a job relevant to your field/degree, I’ll advise you to find an internship even paid or unpaid as it will provide you an opportunity to gain your experience and once you have enough experience, you will have more career opportunities going forward.

Q3: I am studying in medical and want to appear in CSS exam. I am a bit confused and cannot decide that I have to continue studying in medical or shift to CSS. Please guide me accordingly. (Faisal – Lahore)

Ans: I would like to know the current year of medicine or professional examination you are studying. If you are near to complete your degree, I’ll not suggest you to leave and shift to CSS. I’ll advise you to complete your medical degree, do your house job, gain experience in your relevant field and during this period try to appear in CSS exam. Please think before you make a final decision because medical domain is what most people want to go in as it is very respectable profession.

Q4: I got master degree in HRM (2014-2016) from Punjab University and now teaching in a reputable school in Saudi Arabia. I want to shift to HR domain which is relevant to my master degree. Please let me know what I should do as I will be coming back to my country soon. (Mehak – Saudi Arabia)

Ans: HRM is known as a major area in business industry. Also, it is very suitable for females if they do this with passion and interest. I hope you can get a position in any reputable organisation once you come back and apply for a job. If you are unable to find a job, I’ll suggest you to do an internship in the relevant field, this will help you to gain experience in your field and you will definitely get more opportunities to boost your career. I wish you best of luck for your future success.

(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).