ISLAMABAD – Mere high grades or academic excellence may not necessarily earn the students a bright career unless they equip themselves with a certain amount of professional expertise to meet the requirements of their chosen fields.
This was the gist of success stories shared by different professionals from different sectors here at an orientation ceremony held at Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) Islamabad campus.
Aim of the ceremony was to tell the students of Management Sciences, Social Sciences, Computer Sciences and Media Sciences, how to run through hoops in order to carve a niche for themselves in their respective professions ahead.
Sajid Lateef, Senior Manager EPMO at a telecom company told the students that high grades certainly have their own importance but innovative ideas, creativity and thoughtfulness are valued more in the telecom industry when it comes to finding jobs. He said the competitive telecom sector demands dynamic youngsters who could handle tough challenging tasks through professional expertise.
Endorsing this view, Taimoor Aziz Bhatti, Human Resource Manager at a company urged the students to start equipping themselves with maximum technical and practical know-how of whichever career they want to opt for so that when are done with studies and land into the field they are able to deliver efficiently.
He said “bookworms” who are not open to learning anything other than their academic stuff may not be able to survive the stiff professional competition.
Fawad Asif Rana, head of Human Resource at an insurance company advised students to find jobs, no matter how petty these may be, and carry them along with studies so by the time they complete education they possess enough professional experience to handle bigger jobs.
He said students should not feel shame in taking up petty jobs as these experiences would lay a strong foundation for them to scale professional heights.
Aqsa Amir, a young woman entrepreneur said she started off by setting up a small stall at her university funfair and today runs a success business of garments.  Aqsa said with the job markets shrinking, it is time that youngsters jump into entrepreneurship for livelihood even if they have to start it from the smallest scale. Ghalib Nishter, President Khushhali Bank while speaking on the occasion said his organization is doing all it can to promote entrepreneurship by offering small credits. He promised to facilitate students in SZABIST and elsewhere who wish to start their own business.
Syed Asad Hussain, Director SZABIST Islamabad campus while speaking on the occasion said his institute is working in close collaboration with several public and private organizations to so that the potential of talented students is harnessed and their energies best utilized for national development.