Career options can be overwhelming when starting out
In Pakistan, as a fresh graduate, it can be quite a challenge to pick your path
Most folks just get any job, and that is their first mistake
As a freshie, there are a lot of pros and cons to consider before picking a path — many times I see people stuck in the wrong path — too late to make a switch
Here are the two primary paths that lay ahead of you in most cases:
1 — Private Job at a Local Product or Services Company
2 — Private Job at a BPO/Multinational/Services Company
In most cases how you can differentiate between the two by revenue source
1 -> Most revenue is from local
2 -> Most revenue is not local
Simple
But what it means for you as a professional is far more complicated.
1 –
– Very good for networking opportunity
– Day shift, no need for vampirism (mostly)
– Mostly stable and low risk of layoffs
– Easy to transition between companies
– Exposure to local industry and better market reputation
2 –
– Very high starting salary in comparison
– Mostly IT/Tech facing roles — evergreen industries
– Better focus on soft skill development
– Lot of horizontal move options between departments
– Easier to enter as a support/entry role
You can flip the lines above for cons — but here are the biggest to both:
1 — Will take you years to be at a comfortable living wage
2 — No long-term stability, most companies are small agencies/BPOs
That being given, as most things in life, its a set of tradeoffs, most people would ideally want to go for more money but you will soon realize that was just a short-term fix
1 — I have seen people launch companies because of network effects
2 — I have seen people struggle to find a new job due to layoffs
What matters most to you?
— —
There is a third option, one which you can learn about here: https://wanderingpro.medium.com/switch-to-freelancing-as-a-pakistani-28c9588c405
At the heart of it – I love solving problems for people using tech, it doesn’t get simpler than that.
Some know me as a Product Manager who relentlessly executes, some know me as a mentor who hand holds them to success, some know me as a techhead who won’t stop complaining about ‘that one thing’, and lastly; some know me as that guy who is always experimenting with something new.
As long as its in the realm of tech, I am interested – because my love for tech fuels my passion – sknexus.com – and my profession – saqibtahir.com