Syed Abidi’s book Understanding Career Counselling launched
A ceremony to launch renowned career counsellor Syed Abidi’s book ‘Understanding Career Counselling’ was held at the DHA Suffa University on Wednesday with Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah attending as the chief guest.
The event was attended by the author, DHA Suffa University Vice Chancellor Brigadier (retd) Prof Dr Ahmed Saeed Minhas, Greenwich University Vice Chancellor Dr Seema Mughal, Bahria University Health Sciences Campus Karachi Director General Vice Admiral (retd) Athar Mukhtar and former caretaker Sindh minister Muhammad Mubeen Jumani along with a large number of teachers, students and other guests.
Addressing the ceremony, Shah congratulated Abidi on writing a book aimed at helping young people make informed decisions about their education and careers. He said guiding the younger generation towards the right direction was among the most important needs of the present era.
The Sindh education minister said career counselling helped young people understand their abilities, interests and future opportunities. There were numerous opportunities available to young people today, he added, but they needed proper guidance to identify the right path.
“New fields are emerging across the world, and young people must be made aware not only of traditional professions but also of new and emerging opportunities,” Shah said.
He cautioned students against choosing a field merely because it was currently popular or considered fashionable. Instead, he urged them to take their own interests, aptitude and abilities into account before making a career choice.
The minister said people often found the path to success in work for which they had a genuine emotional attachment and passion. “We should not ask our children what they want to become; rather, we should ask them what they enjoy doing,” he said.
He stressed that young people possessed different abilities and therefore needed different opportunities and career pathways. Parents and elders, he added, should also make a greater effort to understand young people rather than simply complain that they did not understand them.
“Understanding Generation Z requires us to communicate with them, listen to them and give importance to their questions,” Shah said. He further observed that young people needed to be told that there were many possible routes to success and that their destination did not necessarily have to be the one society had predetermined for them.
Describing ‘Understanding Career Counselling’ as an important source of guidance for young people, parents and educational institutions, the education minister said the book could play a valuable role in helping students make appropriate decisions about their future.
The book is designed as a practical guide for parents, students, counsellors and service providers, and seeks to empower and guide students, counsellors and service providers in making informed career decisions. It addresses the need for better understanding of students’ aptitude, interests and abilities while helping them navigate educational and professional choices.
Speaking on the occasion, the author said students needed comprehensive and reliable information about their future and career options. They should also be aware of practical considerations if they planned to study or work abroad, including choosing the appropriate country and understanding the visa process, he added.
Abidi emphasised the importance of matching a student’s abilities with an appropriate field of study and profession. He said he regularly advised students to choose fields in which they had demonstrated aptitude.
“For example, if a student is not good at mathematics, he or she should carefully reconsider choosing a profession that requires strong mathematical ability,” he remarked, adding that a student without good communication skills could face difficulties in pursuing a career in marketing.
Similarly, he said, choosing engineering without having the aptitude required for the field could prove detrimental to a student’s future. “My work is career counselling. Every person should know what they want to do in the future,” Abidi said, adding that the book was particularly important for students facing confusion or uncertainty about their career choices.
He said the book would help students make better-informed decisions and that a special discount had also been offered on its purchase for students.
Recalling the circumstances in which he began his own career, Abidi said his circumstances at that time were very different from those faced by young people today, making proper career guidance even more important in the present age.
The author, who is a recipient of both the Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, has devoted his professional expertise to career counselling and guidance, with the book seeking to address the growing need for structured career advice for students and families.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Seema and other speakers also highlighted the importance of career counselling in helping students identify their strengths and make realistic decisions about their educational and professional futures. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the Sindh education minister and other participants formally unveiled ‘Understanding Career Counselling’.
