Daily Times

Like other countries in the world, Pakistan is suffering from an economic crisis and a low growth rate due to coronavirus. According to economists, the unemployment rate is also rising.

According to economists, the current wave of unemployment is a sign of a dangerous trend.
Many economists are presenting statistics about this. According to them, out of the total manpower in the country, the number of unemployed people has increased rapidly.

Former federal finance minister Dr. Hafeez Pasha said the country currently has manpower of about 67 million. Out of which, if 18.5 million people become unemployed, this number becomes close to 25% and such a large number of unemployed people has never been estimated before in the history of the country.

Career anxiety, feelings of future insecurities is a common issue with our youth. I think we all should openly discuss it openly.

We shouldn’t pressurize, taunt or mock our young students for not doing anything after completing their degrees. It is disturbing them all mentally. Boys especially are struggling with the job market in Pakistan. Girls with social adjustments and getting married after degrees. I come across a lot of people going through this stage. Most don’t express it and when few do express I suggest them the following:

1) comparison of your career with others brings depression. No one is you. You might be feeling that you are late for a job or marriage but NO. It’s not your time yet. Stop comparing. Why someone is earning earlier is irrelevant to your circumstances and situations. Just see if you are missing the hard work part and account for it.

2) Social pressure is a reality but learn to deal with it instead of getting down and disappointed. Avoid people that are discouraging in nature and try to be around those who are creative, appreciate your personality, and think they have a genuine concern for your well-being.

3) Get out of your comfort zone and make yourself busy. That will not just bring you closer to success but also relieve you of the anxiety, that you go through because of a feeling of time and career waste. I usually advise staying busy in skills development. Skills development is extremely important because our degree curriculum does not, unfortunately, cover it. Do get hands-on experience on tools that are relevant to your subject. Enroll in online free courses for that.

4) Then set goals and break down each goal into components to achieve and manage a schedule for that. That goal can be anything, getting an internship, a full-time job coming ahead, or a consultancy that might be of your interest.

5) Reach out to people that are relevant to your subject and can help you achieve your goals. Build a good professional social circle. Don’t bother people with frequent calls and always be gentle and respectful while approaching someone.

6) The most important part I think is personal well-being. Set a certain amount of time for your personal and family needs. Go out on walks, outings, Play a game. Hang around with family and friends while also keeping in focus the components of work you need to do towards your goal.

7) Be gentle and encouraging to everyone. Offer your skills generously. Try to build a portfolio of your works even if you are delivering work related to your subject for free. Prepare a professional presentation of your learnings and skills. Highlight yourself in communities that are relevant to you.

Once you set this work and personal routine, you will see that your professional social circle will grow and you will start building a portfolio. You will be having lesser time to get worried for a career delay or being in depression and anxiety.

There will always be people not happy with what you are doing no matter what you do. They don’t matter. Care for the expectations of only those that matter and to meet those expectations, it is only possible if you stay emotionally and psychologically strong committed to the busy routine out of your comfort zone. Comfort zone always comes after living out of comfort zone.

And one last thing to remember: Age is just a number. You are never too late to start a career.