Career counselling: questions and answers

Q1: Respected Mr Abidi, I request you to please guide me what should I do after my BS Geology. This is a 4 years honors degree. Do you think I should get admission in MS? Also, please advise on the future prospects of my subject Geology here in our country. I will be grateful for your advice. (Danyaal Jaffar Kamyana – Gujranwala)

Ans: Dear Mr Kamyana, please note that the subject you have chosen is very popular not only in Pakistan but also in foreign countries. You have asked for guidance at right time; yes, you should now look for job and have a 2 or 3 years’ experience of your relevant field. You can also do some internships in some firms related to Geological Surveys, Geographic Statistics and or oil explorations etc. By doing this; you will have hand experience/practical experience, which will no doubt give you an edge in the market, and you will have the better chances for a good job.

Q2: Respected Mr Abidi, I am looking for different study options for bachelors after FSc Pre Medical for which I’m expecting A+ grades. I’m confused among different options. My parents advised to email and request for your help and guidance. While I’m going to appear in MDCAT exam for medical university admission, but we are not sure as it depends on merit and the entry test. Therefore, as back up options, we applied admission for these subjects and have already given entry tests. 1) Simple Biology, Bioinformatics, Biosciences and Biotechnology in different universities, 2) LLB 5 year program and 3) BS Psychology

My father is asking me to consider BS English option. However, I’m not sure about the difficulty level, and future scope in terms of career/job opportunities after BS program for each of these options. This is why I’m contacting you to kindly help in selecting a right option. Looking forward to your help and response. (Munnazza Faheem, Islamabad)

Ans: Dear Miss Munnazza, I hope you understand it requires high merit for entry to Medical schools as well as a good score in MDCAT. If you fail to get to a public sector university, you then have a chance to apply to a private medical school depending on your financial layout.

If you fail to get to a medical school for any reason and you are still interested to pursue Biological Sciences, which of course depends on your interest in this subject, you prioritize this as follows: BS Microbiology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Bioinformatics.

All other subjects require a chat with you and to understand whether or not you have an aptitude for the subjects that you mentioned i.e. Law, Psychology or English. Remember job opportunities come across in every field and may depend on circumstances, qualifications etc; and I cannot comment on the career options on the other programmes that you mentioned as you have studied none of them as you did in Biology. Best regards.

Q3: Dear Sir Abidi, it is to request you to please guide me as to which field should I choose. I have secured admission at FAST-NU Islamabad in BS Artificial Intelligence. But I'm confused whether I'll get a job in this field in Pakistan or not. Please help me to select my right career. I can study it. My problem is that will I get a job in this field in Pakistan after completing my Undergraduate or not? Or should I join PUCIT Lahore for BS CS? Your remarks are highly appreciated and valuable to me! Thanking you in advance! (Athar Saud, Lahore.)

Ans: Dear Athar, BS AI is a relatively new degree being offered at NUFAST and while you may be able to find career opportunities in this growing area; I would be more inclined to recommend to you doing a degree in Computer Science and then topping this up with a masters in a specialized area which may be AI, Networking, Information Systems etc. It is important to build a base if computer science is your favourite subject. I wish best of luck in your future plans.

Q4: Dear Sir, I hope you are well. I have passed my MA English Literature & Linguistics from a well-reputed university here in Pakistan with a CGPA of 3.0. I was thinking it would be a good idea to have your input/views on what should I do further I mean should I study or get some job experience? (Tooba Shaheen, Faisalabad)

Ans: Dear Tooba, the subject that you have chosen is a very emerging area, in other words you have bright chances whether you want to become a teacher etc. On the other hand, there are many types of specialist subject areas and research in linguistics. Many of these will offer you funding/scholarships and grants in foreign countries. It is up to you whether you would like to go for job immediately or if your financial status allows you; you would like to study further. I wish you success in your career.

(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).