LIFE JOBS LIFT : MASTER PRECIS

LIFE was easier some years ago. Young people / students wanting to pursue a career had the options of medicine or engineering at the top. Other options were explored if a student could not opt for these areas.

Management studies started changing things three decades ago. For the last couple of decades, computer science has seen a lot of demand and expansion.

Careers and jobs are more flexible and mobile now. Economies are changing fast. People no longer see jobs as a 30-to-40 years commitment. They change employers and jobs much more frequently.

In most industries, jobs have also become less permanent. Manufacturing, in many countries, has stopped expanding. The expansion of the services sector has contributed to and accelerated the process.

Today's youngsters/students, who are thinking of higher education and careers now or will be doing so in the next few years, need to know much more about possibilities, opportunities and threats than previously.

But where educational opportunities and options have increased, we have not seen a commensurate expansion in counselling services.

Too many of our youth make important decisions about higher education and careers under severe information asymmetry and uncertainty.

University and higher education regulators need to remedy the situation.

The World Students Society thanks Associate Professor Faisal Bari of LUMS.