Engineering One’s Passion into Profession

hey..m a 2nd yr student..n m really worried abt the proffession i m goin to pursue after the completion of inter..n i really found this article worth reading ...the writer very simply explains the problems of us-THE YOUNGSTERS..we follow the dreams of r parents,relatives..rather thn r own dreams..even now most of the ppl don't dare to dream..they see the world as the world wants them to see ... well i m also not perfect but still m thankful to Allah tht i may dream till now...because to dream is ur will n nobody can take this will frm u...

One day my eight grader niece came to me and asked...Uncle, I am in big trouble. I need to decide...

Decide what ? I asked

Decide that what I am gonna do in my life. How should i decide that? she said.

For a moment I laughed inside..then I was amazed and I wished I had a clearcut answer for her but it was something that after all these years I don`t have an answer for myself either...

But hey....May be life is more interesting when its like a rolling stone...

Atif, I remember 15 years back, when I was in school... ..gave a speech on a topic quite similar to yours, and applause was all I could hear....maybe you will get the same response for all this effort (not that i can see in any in the reviews below.... but healthy criticism is something we should all look forward to, this is for all those who try to make fun of efforts regardless of getting the message out of it)

But anyways, I`ll tell you something that I had undergone in the last few years of my career... then u might think otherwise. I was a premedical student cause of my parents wishes, gave tests every where around the country and finally I got in...I appreciated my parents wishes till then `cause they interpreted there wishes which could not be fulfilled for them in their days of youth. For me it was a Medical profession for you it might be engineering and for still others it might be forces....

I quitted the profession after long hours of discussion with my parents... the essence of that discussion being that I did this all for them, my parents and they were on the verge of crying appreciating it and the the rest was history, they forced me to get out of that profession if that was not what I wanted and adapt whatever area I was interested in....

But the thought that I want to convey here is that.....why would parents think bad for you.... a very common lingual that you get to hear now and then...and its true believe me. Your parents are at a stage of life where they want fruitful images of how much they invested on their kids, and whats wrong with them thinking of good professions like those you mentioned as evils probably. What you need to do is, talk to them after proving yourself that you really care of their aspirations and yearnings but you are not inclined toward that profession although you will still follow it if they want to....

Oh common its just the game of words, parents are like babys themselves they love you so much they melt on your mere confusion, mine did....Not that i didnt like the profession, but i wanted to be an engineer like my father, only that it turned out, I graduated in Business studies. So you see life tends to toil you in many ways, such that in the end you are a comletely different person, with diffent aims in life. So chill out, you never know what it brings for you....

And you know what....I hate being in Business field....hahahaaa

Najia Bashir
Karachi

seems like the topic here has veered a bit towards syntax...well well, let`s give the poor guy a breather...engineering programs don`t have a writing skills course do they? and in any case, the kind of English we have taught in our homeland, it does not guarantee proper usage and conveyance of ideas. and when you have an idea you are desperate to jot/type down , you don`t really care for proof reading... that comes later...and in chowk, there is no later, just a sumbit button and lo! the ball is not in your court any more.

mian atif:
ur point was well understood the first time. but therez nothing new or innovative about it. u aren`t the only one to hit upon this brainwave. everybody laments about this scenario.

but when the moment of truth comes....almost all will go for the glamorous field (in their opinion). maybe there is a sense of superiority associated wid being in an engineering or medical field. i dont think money is a factor coz in my opinion they actually make u slog n pay u less. not sure though.

maybe urstruly is right and its to impress prospective beaus (for females that is) by boasting of being in these fields.

the only objection i have wid all this (coveting such fields, that is) is when parents force u into these fields when the kids dont want to do it. unfortunatly i dont think this mentality will b changing in a hurry. its always the desire of wanting the best for ur kid that becomes the undoing of the kid. parents shouldnt push....n thats the only thing we need to discuss.

I think boys opt for engineering profession in the hopes for a fair coloured wife also. But when it is martial law, first liutenants and captains get the cream whereas for engineers what is left is peasant stock. Doctors on the other hand are a different animal, I think they would settle for a cow as long as there is a good monetary compensation - aakhir kharchay kitay hoy naiN.

Hye everyone,
Engineering is an excellent career and it higly coveted in our country...but... the point i wanted to convey is that there is much more in the world than just just engineering and medical studies...i wanted/want to convey the message that ........do what u luv.....chase ur dreams ...listen to ur dear heart.......
imagine...if your taya`s daughter ws doing bachelors in music and your khala`s son was studying creative writing in graduation and one of your friends was planning to study spanish in US...how cool and free the society would look this way..today insted we find every other guy treading on the beaten track..
...and haan guys i got a cool idea(it sems too cool 2 me)..why dont we hold a debate on this issue issue cafe/restaurent or any other place.....we will discuss issues to be considered while making decision 4 career and bla bla..e`ll invite a carer counsellor too..and if chowk editors pool some help..then it would be fantabulous..
.....
and haan thnx for pooling in all those writing tips for helping me to produce even better articles ..who knows i might became picasso of journalism and then i might grant u a place in my autobiography..(pun intended)
au revoir

First post on chowk so bear with me. Being a computer science student (which would probably qualify as an engineering related field in Pk) I couldnt refrain from commenting on Mian Atif`s article. Admitted a lot of Pakistani parents have an ingrain notion that Medicine and Engineering are the only worthwhile professions to aspire for. But then one cant really blame them. As you mentioned yourself ``I plied my mind in one of the reputed entrance test preparation academy where our prof. elucidated on the last day that the only reason one becomes engineer is earning livelihood and to my astonishment there was a tacit approval from students as if had just uttered what they were dying to hear .Duh!!
``. For a lot of people that is a pretty strong reason. The chances of making it big in professions such as music, acting, modelling or the social sciences are pretty bleak. Even if one has talent in a non science related field, having something to fall back on is always a blessing. One has to eventually fend for oneself which is why I believe the whole choice angle would only work for people who`s parents are in a high income bracket and can afford to let them take such chances. Just read Nazarhayatkhan`s post right now and it pretty much sums up my argument up in a nustshell.
With regard to post #7 by Nadeemakr, it takes atleast 2 weeks with max. 5 hrs of sleep per night to complete one of four engineering/computer projects assigned per semester in University. I think after all that suffering it is expected that they will be proud of their accomplishments, although I dont approve of putting down people in other disciplines. As for people skills, thats not what engineers are trained for or paid for. That whats the Human Resources people are trained for and excel at.

originally posted by virtue

``Few tips for the writer:

The period comes at the end of each sentence, not at the start.
Ever heard of a thing called proof reading?
Check for spelling mistakes, especially before sending your article to Chowk.
Please do take a course in English grammar. (It has nothing to do with engineering so I think you can handle it)
Someone once said: “I keep quite and let others think that I am dumb rather than speaking out and leaving no doubt.”
So my advice to you is not to write, If you can’t. kiyoun angrazi key taNgaiN TORR rahe ho.

I thought the Chowk staff actually read these articles before posting them on this website.
This is the worst article I have ever read on Chowk! ``
Although, I am not ignoring the importance of good writing skills yet you might have discouraged the writer alot, here. You have every right to disagree with his ideas but if you could get him well, then there was no-need to address him in such tone. The writer is wise enough and knew about the kind of replies. He has already made it clear in the footnote PS`s. Plz, don`t take CHOWK as ENGLISH B paper and let us make mistakes coz daGh nahi tau seekhna nahi. :p

And mind that ALL don`t visit chowk to impress others with their splendid ideas. Most of them are here to learn from others experiences and correct themselves . plz let everyone say what and in which fashion they like to. You have this option of ignoring anything you dislike, anytime.

Your suggestion were good, waisay. I agree to all of your suggestions. Wish, they were conveyed in proper way. I somehow find this suggestion,“I keep quite and let others think that I am dumb rather than speaking out and leaving no doubt.” invalid for CHOWK. kaisay? I think this is normally suggested when someone is not among his OWN ppl. Apnay logoon ko already achi terah pata hota hay k aap kia hain, even if you say something or not. :)
Now it depends on yourself whether you feel to be among friends on chowk or ...

i totally agree wid virtue that this article was very badly written. the only reason i read it was that UET was mentioned again n again. the tips given by virtue might help mian atif. do look into it man. i got the feeling that i was listening to someone RANTING rather than reading coherent and focused thoughts.
anyway...
im surprised that nadeemakr has the audacity to get offended by a mere bumber sticker. vats wrong wid eulogizing ur field or profession or place of study? its just to add a lil flair. and how does feminism get offended wid `engineers do it with precision`? are u implying that females cant b engineers? well than, i say that most of my capable and very intelligent friends would find this view offensive as do i.
they suffer friom from superiority complex and possess the ability to discard anything and everything that does not conform to x and y plane...they hate narratives and are only interested in the `bottom` line, no un intended here!
acha ji? so after wasting years n years learning to b creative n innovative.....ur saying that engineers actually lack any vision to think up something new or accept it if its presented to them. and all the techonological advancement and research is being done by artists or somesuch right?
and vats wrong wid being not wanting to waste time in listening to `narratives` and meaningless rhetoric and wanting to get straight to the point wid a concise description?

mian atif:
i do hope u make it to UET (if u gave the admission test that is). contact us and we would love to make ur acquaintance (read: do some fooling shooling :P ). u will have excellent oppertunities to pursue creative writing or any other talent.

#2 by nazarhayatkhan on August 22, 2003 2:06pm PT

Easier said than done - but in principle I agree.

I tend to agreee with Nazar Hayat. Most people choose engineering or medicine as a career to earn a livelihood and to better their lot. Unfortunately, in countries like Pakistan most people do not have the choice of going after a career of their interest.

Being an engineer by qualification and being one of the few who qualified as one because of ineterst, I see nothing wrong with taking up engineering or medicine as a field of education and maybe not using it as a profession

nadeemakr:

Engineers create the world for you. Those electronics safely hidden inside that plastic/metal body infront of you was designed and produced by Electronics, Mechanical and Computer engineers. To deny their obvious superiority is to deny the fact that you are living in a progressive society of intelligent beings who have the determination, the intelligence and mind to do good for their fellow people. Yes I agree that some engineers do boast of their superiority and try to put all the other technologists down by saying things like that bumper sticker does, and they often exaggerate it by saying that they are the only ones around who have the brains to tackle all sorts of engineering related problems.

A BSc engineer coming out of University usually is fully energized and ready to rock in his field of specialization. To him there is no hurdle and no restraint that can keep him from solving any sort of engineering problem because he thinks that going through the University was a breeze, and that real application of all that has been studied would be similar. That is where he gets mistaken... and it is only when he faces the real problems in industry does he understand that University student life and the real industrial life have a lot of difference. So the initial over-confident attitude of fresh engineers as well as engineers who have changed their field to something like Information Technology or Buisness Administration gives an impression that engineers are, basically, proud and intolerant self-proclaimed kings of technology. If you ever had a chance to talk to any good practising engineer who has had a considerable amount of experience in his field of specialization, you would certainly find a huge difference of opinion... and hopefully it would make you backup on what you have said about engineers in your post.

About engineers being worse people managers; majority of engineering institutions usually do not produce engineers with good managerial skills due to lack of proper training courses in that area and are thus left with only engineering knowledge which they have gone through in those 4 years of study. Recently, after a negative response from industrial giants about the engineers not being competitive enough and lacking communication skills, Universities like UET Lahore have included special communication skills as well as management courses in the curriculum. Hopefully this would be beneficial to both the engineers as well as the Universities.

I agree with virtue when he says that engineers make less money than truck drivers in Canada. Here in Pakistan, due to immense saturation in the engineering field the demands for engineers is getting less, and they are thus moving towards low paid jobs just to avoid being labelled an unemployed worthless technologist. Initially they have to bear with low salaries and an unsatisfying job schedule, but gradually with time and experience they get to know the ups and downs of industrial engineering practise and intiutively tackle all problems with ease. They don`t get a white collar job as soon as they pop out of university and start managing, directing, supervising and maintaining massive machines and projects... it takes some time to get to that position.

Engineering is not a piece of cake. Engineers have a right to stand proud and boldly say that they actually do everything with dedication, depth of thinking and precision.

This article is written badly and does no justice to engineers.

Engineering is not just about math, physics and programming. It is about problem solving, creativity and using scientific knowledge to come up with an engineering solution to the problems faced by the society. Five years at an engineering school don’t just teach you how to become a code-monkey, they help make you a better person. Many engineers change their profession after graduating but the skills they develop in an engineering school are applicable to any profession and that are to be able to think deeply, creatively and analytically.

The perception that people have is that engineers make a lot of money. At least in Canada, I can tell you that engineers make less money than truck drives and this is no exaggeration.

The problem hindering Pakistan’s development is NOT having enough engineers. Having 10 thousand people applying for 1000 spots is not much. In most of the top ranked American universities the admission rate is less than 10%. Pakistan only has a 4-5 adequate engineering schools to cater for a population of more than 140 million.


Few tips for the writer:

The period comes at the end of each sentence, not at the start.
Ever heard of a thing called proof reading?
Check for spelling mistakes, especially before sending your article to Chowk.
Please do take a course in English grammar. (It has nothing to do with engineering so I think you can handle it)
Someone once said: “I keep quite and let others think that I am dumb rather than speaking out and leaving no doubt.”
So my advice to you is not to write, If you can’t. kiyoun angrazi key taNgaiN TORR rahe ho.

I thought the Chowk staff actually read these articles before posting them on this website.
This is the worst article I have ever read on Chowk!

nadeemmkr: “They are the worst ppl managers I have ever come across,”
That is so not true. Engineers learn how to work in a group and come up with a design and for that you need to have good communication and interpersonal skills, no wonder nearly 50% of the Fortune 500 CEO’s have engineering as their undergrad. (source: Fortune Magazine)

There is a bumper sticker very common in Pakistan which says `Engineers do it with precision``

---

most of my feminist friends would find this sticker offensive just like I do...
Teh fact remains, engineers are the worst ppl that you come across in your professional life..they suffer friom from superiority complex and possess the ability to discard anything and everything that does not conform to x and y plane...they hate narratives and are only interested in the `bottom` line, no un intended here!

They are the worst ppl managers I have ever come across, if you can afford to discount IESCO, LESCO kind of things and of course the engineers working for Alstom and Siemens or their likes...

Have an exaggerated sense of self-importance... an engieer told me just recently that a Msc. in electronics from a UGC institution can be ``managed`` by an engineer with a four year degree! what a f*****g shame!

Mian Atif, hota hai yaar ghabrao nahi. I hope you hit a good position in the merit lists of UET Lahore. Glad that you realized this before entering the University... many intelligent and hardworking students make a mess of themselves by worrying after entering the university, lose a lot of their determination and potential to work hard. It`s not always the interest in the field that drives people to do their engineering, it`s the passion to make something out of themselves. The cream entering the Universities usually is intelligent enough to deal with all their academic problems... but some of them don`t quite fit in just because they didn`t have the will to do it in the first place.

Where there is a will, there is a way. And like Eminem said, you can do anything you put your mind to man!

By the way, hope to see you soon as a 2004 session student in UET Lahore (Inshallah), if you are planning to come here.

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