What step to take next...?

Society Business and Career
21

oh and one last thing...before i fall asleep (its like 3am over here) is that I do not htink i need a masters degree too...its coz my dad wants it...we hav our own family business that is estalished in Pakland mashallah...so i dont need a masters for that...
another reason for me wanting to save money and going to aus (coz i do not necessarily need a masters)

hoo aah
good nite for now...
keep us posted...always helps to discuss these things...believe me i had been in a tumoil until 2 monhts ago(thats when i applied and got into Uni of Melb - Australia) ...but even now i hav doubts..keh yaheen say kar lena chahiyay just coz paki mentality is keh amreeka is the best

22

Faisal

firstly, please tell me, what is “hoo aah” kon si zaban hae ye :hehe:

anyways, coming to the other points you raised:

more specialized…MBA takes 2 yrs - masters take one…MBA is twice as expensive as maters…mba requires more work experience to get into…plus GMAT or GRE…
I would love to get my MBA from the states,…but its expensive…plus will take me another 4 yrs…2 to save the money and 2 to do the program… <<<

thats true…
but wait, is the fee for mba more than a normal masters? and what about evening mba? i think i know someone who is doing an evening mba from a state uni alongside a fulltime job…

by that time i will be like 29 or 30ish…and it would be hard for me to come back to Pakland and start my career all over again…can u imagine leaving a great job in the States and going to Pak at 30 to struggle again…plus if i do my masters and get increasd salary over here…its going to be very difficult to leave… <<<

yeah i completely understand u…but thats a choice you have to make depending on your circumstances and priorities…even if you come to pak at that time you will get a great job…i do know ppl who have left good careers in america and moved back to pakistan…but i know that there are many things to think about and its not easy either…

the bottom line being…there are pros and cons for eveything…u hav to sacrifice somehting to gain another thing…its just up to the person to decide what is more important… <<<

yes exactly, u r completely right…

for me personally..I save time (atleast 2 yrs) money (atleast $20K) if i do my masters from Aus (plus no GMAT …
and another thing…if i do my MBA from here and go bak to Pak…ppl my age wud be working there for 8 yrs (assuming htey start their bachelors at 18..so 3 ys for that and 1 yr for the masters)…and theres no way I will be earning more than them or placed over them coz they will hav the experience in pakistan… <<<

so you have decided abt doing masters from Aus?

and no you will be earning more from ppl who have been working in pak, because a foreign degree and experience from abroad places you at a much higher level than local graduates who have had experience in pakistan…trust me abt that!

these are some of the other things u hav to consider…I hope i am not confusing u even furthur
hoo aah <<<

no no not at all, in fact thank you so much for your reply

well …lol..I just read ur post abt accumulating work experience for MBA… go for it…
education is an investment..and never hurt anyone
good luck
hoo aah <<<<

no thats an excuse i have given my mom for not applying to masters this yr in case i dont end up applying (i have told mummy that im not applying this yr but i will apply later for mba) :smiley:

sigh i suck :smack2:

oh and one last thing…before i fall asleep (its like 3am over here) is that I do not htink i need a masters degree too…its coz my dad wants it…we hav our own family business that is estalished in Pakland mashallah…so i dont need a masters for that…
another reason for me wanting to save money and going to aus (coz i do not necessarily need a masters) <<<

i get u completely…
and i know how it feels…coz u dont want to let ur parents down…
well i think if you can afford it then you shud jus do your masters from usa coz u’ve already been there, u r there, and that degree is more prestigious u know…u can also work side by side or something…

hoo aah
good nite for now…
keep us posted…always helps to discuss these things…believe me i had been in a tumoil until 2 monhts ago(thats when i applied and got into Uni of Melb - Australia) …but even now i hav doubts..keh yaheen say kar lena chahiyay just coz paki mentality is keh amreeka is the best<<<

oh okay so u have already made your decision

in that case BEST OF LUCK!

haan ye toh hae abt the paki mentality :hehe: what abt ur dad, is he ok with you doing masters from aus and nor amreeka? in the end, if you yourself and satisfied and convinced with your decision and can also convince your family then nothing else matters :slight_smile:

23

ravage shoot i forgot to reply to u :smack:

hmmm…HEC loans?

hmmmm

acha dekhon gi is baray mein..thanks…

aur agar koi aur bhee ideas ayen toh do come and post em in this thread…

24

btw what were u referring to as "yahan" ??? [yahan kia rakha hae]

25

MQ sorry for not replying earlier yar :smack:

hmm…

the system for international students is different..like we cant get loans and stuff..so thats out of the question…

there r some programs where u can get loans with cosignees and some other complicated requirements but id rather not go for such complicated long term options…

khair…thanks for the encouragement :slight_smile:

26

Irem,

the fee for the mba is more than the masters coz it takes 2 yrs...so even though for 1 yr the fees is abt the same...u times it by 2 and voila...its twice as expensive.... :)

abt doing mba in the evening...well if you want to do it from a good university u need atleast 2 yrs work experience to get in... plus if you are doing it part time you finish it in 3 to 4 yrs....so that means...6 more yrs of being in the states...thats too long to be here for ..atleast for me....

well..i hav made my decision abt doing it from Australia (i i think :S) my dad still thinks i shud do it from usa...but i have been able to convince him abt the benefits (less money, less time)....but i hav a friend who is doing it from aus and he is in pakland rite now ...so i hav asked him to research whether it makes a lot of a differene if one gets it from aus instead of america as far as getting a job goes...so once he gets back to me (prob in Feb) thats when my mind will be in peace...

oh and lastly but not the least...the hoo aah thingie (heheh..embarrassed smile) ummm its kind of become a habit...Al Pacino does it in one of his movies ..and i hav been ending my mails with this ever since i saw it (scent of a woman..i highly recommend it..he won an oscar for it...one of the best performances ever)...

oh and yeh...i guess i have also made an excuse of not giving a gmat by waiting for my friend to get back at me....but u know...just 2 days ago...i was looking at this article by the Time of England...they came out with a list of top univerisities IN THE WORLD (not just the US)...and Univeristy of Melbounre (the one i am going too inshallah) is ranked 22 in the world ....so that made me happy :)...not that rankings matter a lot..but i think it still gives u a little ummm peace of mind to know it...

well then ..thats it for now...

hoo aah :)

27

Irem, you have gotten some really good and analytical replies from Umar and Faisal, and ravage also made a good point earlier about HEC. However, keep in mind that its your decision in the end, and you will have to live with it every single day. Different things are important to different people at different times in life. Rightnow, it sounds like parents and support group of friends, family etc. is most important, which makes a lot of sense. You have established urself closer to ur roots in pak. Hence, I feel a very good option for u would be to go for the IBA executive MBA program (at their city/garden campus) may be the way to go. That way, you can keep your current job, take classes a couple of evenings per week, be close to ur parents/friends/family, still get a sense of accomplishment (IBA is arguably the number 1 business school in pak), and easily get a different/better-paying job if u so desire. In the bigger/long run schema of things, it will not make a HUGE difference, imho.

28

urley miaN... pehle lecturer ke hijje tow theek karr lo :p

and oye you not only stole my profession, but my custom title too - hadd hoti hai aakhir :)

29

Read this ^ again three times. You have answered your own question

I spent a lot of time reading this thread so I won’t spend too much writing here :-p
Following is how I see it

  • You plan to spend your life in Pakistan. Use your money wisely. Converting rupees to dollars is not fun. Masters abroad is pretty expensive and it’s not worth the investment for someone who wants to pursue a business in Pakistan. Your bachelors is from a reputable university and it will get you in any door you want. Don’t compare your self with other classmates who have done masters from a community college.

  • You want to do your masters just for the sake of doing it. I disagree with that thought process. In fact it makes me angry. I know Pakistani education system and society is different in a sense that the more degrees you have the more respected you are…If you want my honest opinion, degrees mean squat in practical life. Majority of the times people graduate in one field, do masters in another and end up in a career that is totally different than their education. You do the math. Your education should complement your career for god’s sake.

Here is what I would do. I’d challenge myself to change my job, get into something that is more in line with my future plans (clothing / education). Get out of this comfort zone..will ya? You are too good to settle at your current job.
I’d drop the idea of masters…spend more time exploring different jobs and work environments. itna confidence hai? Then two / three yrs down the road..go for masters in a field that I know i love. That’s the “education” you want. Not another three letters on your resume. Think about it. Be smart about your money, education and time.
Sorry if I have been blunt…for some reason I know you won’t mind :slight_smile: chalo shabash mera baita ..get serious.

30

guys, i have read all ur replies..in fact i read them yesterday

thank you so much :k: really appreciate that each of u took out ur time and posted here..so kind of you

im sorry for my late replies…

khair here r my meel lambay replies now :smiley:

31

[my monitor is acting really weird like it keeps blinking and going “off” so i hope i am able to complete typing up the replies inshallah]

thanks firstly to all of your for your thoughts…

actually i dont discuss this issue with anyone in my family or my friends except only one friend…GS is the only place i can actually discuss this…

no one takes me seriously anymore coz i always keep changing my mind abt this issue…so i dont want to tell anyone unless ive REALLY made up my mind…plus i dont want to keep disappointing ppl…so thas why i only discuss this issue here…

and thas why i appreciate it even more that all of u replied here with ur valuable advice

FAYZ

i do plan to spend my life in pakistan lekin i guess all my future plans r just my “khwaahishaat” innit kyun k siraf mere plans se toh kuch nai na hota. i mean who knows Qismat kein kya likha hae. like most of my friends have gone abroad without planning to and are living there. in the future i might have to move kyun k mustaQbil ka pata nai hota n no point having plans or ideas set in stone haena, one shud be flexible and adaptable i guess. is lyay bhee i think k shayad masters ker lena chahiyay. plus the most important factor is yes my mom really wants me to do my masters.

lo ji…ye jo meeloN lambi lambi posts likhi ja rai haen…aap ko mehSoos nai ho rha k kitni TENSION hae mere damaag mein is moozo k baray mein zahir hae i AM serious uff ye kahan se lag rha hay k i am NOT!!! :hehe: agar serious na hoti toh kya kabhee apnay aap ko itnay taraddud mein mubtala karti? sigh

confidence —> woh toh khair mere andar kak nai hae :smiley:

and aap ne toh jo plans bataYay haen na k itnay saal job karo phir masters karo…woh line of action follow kerte kerte mere baal sufayd ho jaayein ge :smiley:

clothing ka aik business meri do best friends shuru karnay waali haen b/w lahore and karachi…but i cant even commit to them coz of this masters syapa!! halaNkay they r both my really good friendz aur dono mere pichay haath dho k pari haen

khair…i think i have decided…dil se aik awaaz jaagi hae parson se jab se mein ne ye thread kholi hae :hehe:

masters karna hae inshallah :slight_smile:

[lekin dont quote me on this mere iraday har wakt har roz badaLtay rehte haen is baray mein mashallah se :hehe: ]

32

DEE ESS!!! :crying: <— khushi k aanso :smiley:

AAJ tum ne meri aankhein khol DEEN dee ess :eek:

ye toh aik azeem profession hae :eek:

is se achee field toh koi HO HI naheen sakti kasam se shukar hae aaj tum ne mujh bhaTki hui ko ye raasta dikha dya :eek:

:smiley:

p.s. waise tumhari kya masroofYaat haen aaj kal? kia iraday haen?

33

Jayzee ASAK

i am going to email you soon plz forgive me coz i have been so lazy :bummer:

u know how long the IBA exec MBA is? :confused: its THREE yrs :frowning: plus mujhay ye bhee feel hota hae k undergrad stanford se kya hae toh masters bhee uTni hi achi jaga se karna chahiyay…kamazkam try to karna chahiyay…lekin i know har cheez kee plus n minus points haen…so i am thinking…
i think i will jus apply n see what happens…inshallah…
close to family…thats the MAIN thing tho…

34

oh acha toh thats what hoo aah is :hehe:

hmm i understand ur reasons for wanting to do it from aus

khair abt the paki market, i can tell u that USA ka work experience and USA kee degree is considered the best…aus ki itni recognition nai hae…best unis of pak r even considered better than aus…waise usa kee bhee agar koi boht low ranked uni ho toh its also not considered as good as pak’s top unis THESE days…ye aaj kal naya trend hae…

lekin uni of melb sounds like its really good…

hmm…khair..in the end plus minus toh har cheez k hon ge…if ur heart is set on it then u shud put every doubt aside and go for it inshallah :k: BEST OF LUCK!

hoo aah :smiley:

p.s. im gona try to see that hoo aah wali movie if i get the chance thanx for the recommendation :smiley:

35

salams guys..

i've made my decision now finally...alhamdulillah...

i'm not applying to grad school for next year...im most prolly going to get into a tech management kind of job which is more related to my degree and on the side think about maybe starting a business with some close friends or maybe even my dad/bro. inshallah

if circumstances permit then might do an mba from abroad after i've gathered enough work experience. not going to apply for mba to lums/iba for next yr though.

i'll also, jus for the sake of it, prepare for and take both GMAT and GRE so atleast i have those two out of my way if i ever decide to apply in the future.

so thats the plan inshallah :)

thanks again for all your help and advice, really appreciate your ideas, support and encouragement :)

wa salam
irem