Internships in Pakistan

we will become a high achiever. These are just some commonplace beliefs that all of us have since we are children we all want these things and despite everything that happens, we continue believing that this stuff will eventually happen one day.

Our teacher said to us, when he looked at all of us, he was sure that we all had such beliefs too. Beliefs that comforted us and we used as a cushion-a shield from the uncertainty of the future. He said one belief common to us all was, “You’re under the delusion that all of you will land a job as soon as you graduate. You’ll have a successful position at a successful company with a competent salary.”

Absolutely true, that is what we all believe. And that is where we are also entirely and utterly deluded. The job market has become so saturated that it’s unbelievable how many people are out there looking for a job, manage to find one, but don’t end up getting hired. If we believe that just because we have the stamp of one of the best universities in the country and that somehow entitles us to the absolute conviction that we will find a job is purely our cloud of comfort. It is just something that we grew up believing and regardless of the economic downturn, the shrinking ratio of jobs available to educated citizens, rapid downsizing and cost reduction schemes by way of  layoffs, we-myself included-believed that we would find employment.

Once we come out of our comfort zones and face to face with reality, the biggest question is: If it will be so hard to find a job, what can we do to increase the probability of a positive outcome? The obvious answers are of course, study hard, try and get an admission in a reputable university/college, pursue something of your interest so that you can push harder. Apart from all these, another fundamental aspect of landing a good job is getting a good internship. Mind you, in today’s level of competitiveness, this is pretty tough too. If you’re still a student, whether an under-grad or post-grad-do not under estimate the importance of a good internship. Mainly because your prospective employer/s will definitely not do so.

Internships provide you with the opportunity to get the feel of the real-world environment. There are some things which cannot be taught in a classroom and sometimes those are the most definitive skills that you will need in at workplace. A teacher can teach you about the different types of people you will find, those who will be great leaders but poor followers and how to deal with them-in theory; the power bases you have to exercise your authority, the marketing tools that appeal to the consumers most, the degree of risk that you should ‘safely’ take on in projects, you can better understand all this if you start an internship. Of course, the examples that I have given are related to my field, but you can learn stuff related to your own degree too.

The best part about internships is that, no matter how pointless the tasks assigned to you, there will always be 2 things that you are sure to learn: punctuality and dressing appropriately. We might not stress so much on them in everyday life but they really do make a difference in practical life. Moreover, it gives a more accurate reflection of our idealistic perceptions. If we choose a particular field for ourselves, spending some time in a related company will open our eyes to what we have chosen for ourselves and if it’s a good fit or not.