THE SECOND HALF: THE DO’S AND THE DONT’S

I know that all of you will soon be celebrating getting done with the 4th semester and will be anxiously
looking forward to the vacations. However, it is also at this point that you need retain focus. The
vacations between the sophomore and junior year are perhaps the turning point in the degree. While
you might be tempted to ignore this email, I would recommend you not to. You should all use these
vacations to decide what you want to pursue: job, start-up, research etc. I am writing this email to
suggest the options you have and some possible paths you can take to achieve them.

START-UP:
SEECS has been witnessing a start-up trend for the past couple of years and there are a few companies
out there which are doing well and developing. Therefore, understandably, some of you would also want
to follow those footsteps. Here are the pros for going with this career choice:

Pros:
• You get to do what you like.
• You don’t have to be great at academics.
• Allows you to get hands-on experience in many non-engineering fields.
• Increasing number of funding opportunities and presence of numerous start-up incubators.

Cons:
• Chances of success are very low.
• Increasing saturation when it comes to tech startups.
• Getting mainstream. Don’t try just for the sake of trying.
• Risk is very high compared to other career choices.
• Needs tremendous amount of patience and persistence.

What to do?
• Come up with a good business idea. It doesn’t have to be revolutionary, just novel and feasible
enough that you can implement and profit from it.
• Get feedback on that idea form professors, colleagues and seniors. There are many professors at
NUST who can provide very valuable feedback. Also, talking to seniors or colleagues who are
already involved in something similar will be of great help.
• Build a presentable prototype over the course of these vacations. Without a prototype, it is very
hard to sell something in competitions or to potential investors. The earlier you make a prototype
the better. Often students start off with a semester project and extend it later.
• Keep track of all the business idea competitions. Usually the summer vacations are a good time
to work on your idea and prototype because then you can focus on the competitions throughout
the following academic year.
 • Prepare a great presentation/video/pitch/product demo. This matters as much as the product
itself. Ensure that you have a good mix in your team with your combined abilities ranging from
great technical insight to excellent public speaking skills.

*Hardly anyone follows a set order when it comes to making a start-up. Often it is as much about luck as
it is about hard work and dedication.

Here are the links to some relevant competitions which you can target:

1. http://bita.fit.edu.pk/
2. http://pashaictawards.com/
3. http://fics.seecs.edu.pk/
4. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/pakistan/2017/04/06/microsoft-imagine-cup-2017-pakistan-
regional-finals-results/
5. http://dicefoundation.org/
6. http://islamabad.tie.org/2458/
7. http://www.pif.org.pk/
8. https://www.facebook.com/GSEAPakistan/
9. http://www.nascon.org.pk/
10. http://www.nust.edu.pk/Events/Pages/CREATE-%E2%80%9916.aspx
11. http://www.jumpstartpakistan.com/SP

RESEARCH/POSTGRADUATE STUDIES:
This is not the most popular choice among SEECS graduates but the no. of students going abroad for
further studies is increasing steadily. This is mainly because of the limited tech job market in Pakistan and
because most of those jobs aren’t as rewarding. Post graduate studies can take two forms:

Pure Research: If you are interested in research this is the field to target. Normally students who want to
achieve this apply to ‘Masters leading to PhD’ programs which are mostly funded. Students aiming for a
research career normally head to North America because of better opportunities and university
reputation.

Job Oriented: Students looking to avail better and more rewarding job opportunities abroad take this
road. Most of them try to target Europe and Canada mainly because the tuition costs are relatively low in
Europe and there is a better chance of getting a Masters Scholarship in Canada. European universities are
known for closely collaborating with the industry especially in countries like Germany, which makes the
experience very valuable in terms of future job opportunities.

Pros:
• A low-risk career choice compared to start-ups.
• You get international exposure, which is a very valuable experience.
• Chance to study at some of the very best universities around the globe.
• Funded opportunities make it easier to afford.
• A good network of Alumni for guidance.
Cons:
• You will need a good academic profile.
• Some experience with research, preferably good publications.
• Looking for scholarships and sponsors is a tedious process.
• Preparation for standardized tests.
• Hard to get into an extremely good University e.g. first tier north American or European institutes.

What to do?
• Get in touch with a research/lab group at NUST e.g. RISE for Robotics, IPT for Telecom etc. or
other universities e.g. LUMS, ITU etc. There are many NUST graduates working as RAs in LUMS
and ITU, try to get in touch with them.
• Spend your summer working on a research project. This will familiarize you with the research
domains and you will get to develop some skills.
• Make a list of all the universities you might want to apply, know their deadlines. Try to get in touch
with seniors who are going abroad or are already there. This will give you a good idea about the
universities you should target.
• Go through Fulbright’s application procedure. You can apply to Fulbright in 3rd year so that you
don’t have to take a gap year after Bachelors. Fulbright allows you to go on a fully funded degree
program in the US.
• Try to find out all the funded opportunities available and track them e.g. Erasmus, EIT etc. There
are some very helpful facebook communities you can join to stay updated.
• Know about the standardized tests and their patterns. Possibly try to plan when you want to take
them. Most of the students find out about these tests too late. You will have to give TOEFL/IELTS
for language proficiency and GRE, especially for North American Universities.
• There are multiple international internship programs which have selected SEECS students in the
past. They are very competitive but there is no harm in trying. Apart from these students also go
to internships abroad by contacting professors directly. Also, SEECS has partnerships with some
universities abroad, try to make the most of them.

Research Groups at NUST:

1. http://rise.smme.nust.edu.pk/
2. http://seecs.nust.edu.pk/Research-And-Development/groups/

Facebook Groups:
1. https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarships.pk/

International Internship Programs:

1. http://ic.epfl.ch/SummerAtEPFL
2. https://ert.cern.ch/browse_www/wd_portal.show_page?p_web_site_id=1&p_text_id=12
3. http://www.itcsc.cuhk.edu.hk/Winter_School/Winter_School_2017/index.html

JOB:
Most of the students like to go with this option. Jobs can vary from very technical in nature, for example
in tech startups, to purely managerial, for example in FMCG companies. There are pros and cons of both.
Most of the jobs in Pakistan do not pay that well and even if you are absolutely sure about taking this as
a career choice, be open to other options too. It is always good to have a backup plan to fall to.

Pros:
• Recruitment drives on campus offer the perfect opportunity.
• Considered a relatively better career choice if you intend to stay in Pakistan.
• Internships leading to job programs mean that you can have a job secured before graduation.
• GPA is usually not an issue or a factor in job applications (unless it is very technical in nature).
• Strong network of Alumni means that NUST enjoys a good reputation (in certain fields) in the
industry.
Cons:
• Remuneration isn’t that good in start-ups and tech jobs.
• Limited number of jobs in FMCGs and manufacturing which are the highest payers.
• Internships at renowned companies will vastly impact your applications.
• Some companies prefer to hire through internal references.
• Online applications, aptitude & personality tests, interviews, assessment centers require
preparation beforehand.
What to do?
• Spend your vacations doing an internship in industry, preferably in some renowned company.
Even if you don’t get one ensure that you work on some project yourself. Eventually, your projects
and experiences are what matter in the end.
• Also, make a proper CV and set up your linked-in profile. Not only will it allow you to readily apply
to companies but will also let you track your skills and expertise so that you can reflect and
improve on certain areas.
• There will be a number of internship recruitment drives in 3rd year. It’s good to know about them,
their procedure and selection criteria beforehand. Don’t hesitate to contact seniors who have
been selected for those internships in the past, they can be of great help with the test and the
points to focus on in your CV/application.
• Some companies won’t offer formal recruitment drives (e.g. Schlumberger, Shell etc.). So, try to
make a list of all such companies where you can potentially apply separately or through a
reference.
• There are many start-ups offering summer internship positions, do consider them. Some of them
might not be very fruitful but there might be an opportunity where you will get to learn a lot.

I have tried to keep this as short and simple as I could but it might still be a bit overwhelming. Try to absorb
all this information and take a slow start. Two years is a lot of time if you have the right guidance and you
plan properly. SEECS students aren’t usually that well connected to the Alumni as other schools in NUST,
but I would really encourage you to get in touch with your seniors if you need any sort of help with these
matters. You can learn a lot from their experiences. If you have any queries feel free to ask. Good luck
with your exams and enjoy your vacations.

Regards,
Armaghan Ahmad Khan,
Class of 2016,
12beeakhan@seecs.edu.pk