Follow your heart
By Muhammad Omar Iftikhar
26 July, 2008
“… So, what’s the scope?” I hear this question a lot whenever people ask me what I’m doing nowadays and I reply “MBA in media management”. And every time I’m asked “Why media management, what’s the scope?” I don’t reply in the usual way; that the media is booming or I would join the print media or an advertising agency. No! I simply say that “Every man makes his own scope — not his degree gives him the scope, or the system he’s living in.” I normally get a cold stare from the person asking me all this but I remain cool, calm and collected.
This “scope” has become a predominating factor in our educational system. Students thoroughly investigate the scope of their choices they have for their professional education and then select the best one, not on the basis of their highest preference, but rather on the basis of its scope — the one that’ll give them a handsome six figure salary, company paid petrol and other benefits. People are so much indulged in finding the scope of their education that they seldom engage themselves in doing what they love and everyone just follows the mob for all the gold and glitter.
Why is this “scope” really necessary? I mean, is it compulsory for students to follow the prearranged professional choices presented by the system? After a student completes his higher secondary certificate (intermediate) or A’ levels, he has very scarce options in front of him; either he can do an MBA, MA, MBBS, Engineering, BSc or CA. And if I had mentioned BA in this list, you would have certainly said, “What’s the scope of doing BA?” But I will prove its scope in just a while.
We have taken up the scope factor so critically that our society doesn’t think of taking up arts as a profession. We don’t encourage people who take up creative writing, textile designing, architecture, interior designing, painting, sculpting and other professions of art, because they are all overshadowed by the abundantly followed professions of science. But always remember that the art of doing something always comes first; the science of doing it follows later.
Let me ask you one thing, what was the scope of inventing the first airplane, and that too by two bicycle repairmen? People would have definitely thought them to be stupid for they were working on something that doesn’t exist. But they made their own scope, they followed a vision of flight, and so they changed the world.
Similarly, what was the scope of J.K Rowling’s idea of writing Harry Potter in the first place? Children love reading colourful fairy tales, stories about kings and far away lands. How could they enjoy a story about a wizard boy living in a land filled with dark spells and huge monsters? But all those children who have read the Harry Potter series, their smile prove this simple yet hard to digest fact that J.K Rowling made a scope for herself — not the degree she had or the system in which she lived and became a record shattering author.
Let me give you another real life example which is about my cousin. This happened years ago when he took up BA after his intermediate, and like all other visionaries who were humiliated for following their dreams, he too was bombarded with questions from all four sides. At a gathering, my cousin was surrounded by his family members and everyone asked him “…but why BA?” Everyone knew, even a decade ago, that BA has got no scope, no progress in it. That evening my cousin tried his best to explain the reason for which he took up BA, but alas, more fingers pointed at him and people gave him that same cold stare that nowadays I’m receiving for my explanation of the “scope”.
Anyway, my cousin completed his BA and did his MA in mass communications, another of his controversial steps. He was always a man of art, and struggled his way through all the odds and proved all those people wrong who questioned his decision of doing BA. He was associated for four years with one of the country’s biggest media conglomerate as their head of content in the creative department, later he switched lines and became a major creative player in yet another successful advertising agency. He got his reward for following his heart and although he started his professional studies with a simple BA, he not only proved all the sceptics wrong but also established the fact that a man most certainly creates his own scope — not the degree he has nor the system he’s living in.
Since I’m discussing scope, I shouldn’t forget all those people who went abroad for a better life. It’s a misconception that you can’t succeed in this country; that you can’t achieve your goals here and that you can’t follow your aspirations if you’re living in this country — people say there isn’t any scope of success here. They are all wrong. I have been a freelance writer for the past four years, I never went abroad and I followed my passion for writing right here in my country. That cousin of mine, he never went abroad, he got his certificates of merit and applauses from his superiors’ right here in Pakistan. I know other people as well who started their own business; people questioned their decision and the scope of their business, but today they are living a great life and that too, right here, in their country.
In our part of the world, unfortunately, people seldom have a goal or aspirations to follow. People only follow what is prevailing in the system and don’t take risk by doing what they want, they hesitate in creating a scope for themselves. Life is nothing but a game, you have to gamble, and at times you will lose. But your experiences will help you eventually to succeed and declare with enthusiasm “I’ve done it! ... I fell, I was humiliated, and I was mentally scared… But I did it!”
We don’t live that way. All we are taught is to play safe, don’t take risks, just complete your study, get a degree and get a job — be part of the nine-to-five culture. Those people, who always play safe, never play the game and never succeed. One of the many synonyms of scope is possibility and life is nothing but a collection of possibilities; the possibility to open your own publishing house, the possibility to start you own event management company, the possibility to become a marketing consultant, the possibility to open your own tourism company or the possibility to be just who you are, do what you love and if people ask “why the hell are you doing it… what is it’s scope?” then simply reply “every man makes his own scope — not his degree gives him the scope, nor the system he’s living in.”
Have a happy journey through life!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the first time I have read anything like this in a Pakistani newspaper. It gives me hope, but then I am always bound to have flights of fancy. It's just occurred to me that I might have to exchange my P preference to a more J preference. I will have to decide on a career, and I will need to stop thinking of so many options that might or might not pop up. Again, I am in a phase whereby teaching looks like a feasible option again. Hope it settles down soon. I mean, what's the point in trying for something you know in your gut you are completely incapable of handling? You're not doing yourself nor the people you plan to teach any favours. BTW, this guy has some major grammar issues! But he got his idea across. So all's well with the world.
Dreaming little fairy, dreaming all the time about stuff that was never really taught to you - God knows where you've come up with most of your theories about the world... you're really not prepared for this life, are you? Tsk tsk, what shall we do with you?
By Muhammad Omar Iftikhar
26 July, 2008
“… So, what’s the scope?” I hear this question a lot whenever people ask me what I’m doing nowadays and I reply “MBA in media management”. And every time I’m asked “Why media management, what’s the scope?” I don’t reply in the usual way; that the media is booming or I would join the print media or an advertising agency. No! I simply say that “Every man makes his own scope — not his degree gives him the scope, or the system he’s living in.” I normally get a cold stare from the person asking me all this but I remain cool, calm and collected.
This “scope” has become a predominating factor in our educational system. Students thoroughly investigate the scope of their choices they have for their professional education and then select the best one, not on the basis of their highest preference, but rather on the basis of its scope — the one that’ll give them a handsome six figure salary, company paid petrol and other benefits. People are so much indulged in finding the scope of their education that they seldom engage themselves in doing what they love and everyone just follows the mob for all the gold and glitter.
Why is this “scope” really necessary? I mean, is it compulsory for students to follow the prearranged professional choices presented by the system? After a student completes his higher secondary certificate (intermediate) or A’ levels, he has very scarce options in front of him; either he can do an MBA, MA, MBBS, Engineering, BSc or CA. And if I had mentioned BA in this list, you would have certainly said, “What’s the scope of doing BA?” But I will prove its scope in just a while.
We have taken up the scope factor so critically that our society doesn’t think of taking up arts as a profession. We don’t encourage people who take up creative writing, textile designing, architecture, interior designing, painting, sculpting and other professions of art, because they are all overshadowed by the abundantly followed professions of science. But always remember that the art of doing something always comes first; the science of doing it follows later.
Let me ask you one thing, what was the scope of inventing the first airplane, and that too by two bicycle repairmen? People would have definitely thought them to be stupid for they were working on something that doesn’t exist. But they made their own scope, they followed a vision of flight, and so they changed the world.
Similarly, what was the scope of J.K Rowling’s idea of writing Harry Potter in the first place? Children love reading colourful fairy tales, stories about kings and far away lands. How could they enjoy a story about a wizard boy living in a land filled with dark spells and huge monsters? But all those children who have read the Harry Potter series, their smile prove this simple yet hard to digest fact that J.K Rowling made a scope for herself — not the degree she had or the system in which she lived and became a record shattering author.
Let me give you another real life example which is about my cousin. This happened years ago when he took up BA after his intermediate, and like all other visionaries who were humiliated for following their dreams, he too was bombarded with questions from all four sides. At a gathering, my cousin was surrounded by his family members and everyone asked him “…but why BA?” Everyone knew, even a decade ago, that BA has got no scope, no progress in it. That evening my cousin tried his best to explain the reason for which he took up BA, but alas, more fingers pointed at him and people gave him that same cold stare that nowadays I’m receiving for my explanation of the “scope”.
Anyway, my cousin completed his BA and did his MA in mass communications, another of his controversial steps. He was always a man of art, and struggled his way through all the odds and proved all those people wrong who questioned his decision of doing BA. He was associated for four years with one of the country’s biggest media conglomerate as their head of content in the creative department, later he switched lines and became a major creative player in yet another successful advertising agency. He got his reward for following his heart and although he started his professional studies with a simple BA, he not only proved all the sceptics wrong but also established the fact that a man most certainly creates his own scope — not the degree he has nor the system he’s living in.
Since I’m discussing scope, I shouldn’t forget all those people who went abroad for a better life. It’s a misconception that you can’t succeed in this country; that you can’t achieve your goals here and that you can’t follow your aspirations if you’re living in this country — people say there isn’t any scope of success here. They are all wrong. I have been a freelance writer for the past four years, I never went abroad and I followed my passion for writing right here in my country. That cousin of mine, he never went abroad, he got his certificates of merit and applauses from his superiors’ right here in Pakistan. I know other people as well who started their own business; people questioned their decision and the scope of their business, but today they are living a great life and that too, right here, in their country.
In our part of the world, unfortunately, people seldom have a goal or aspirations to follow. People only follow what is prevailing in the system and don’t take risk by doing what they want, they hesitate in creating a scope for themselves. Life is nothing but a game, you have to gamble, and at times you will lose. But your experiences will help you eventually to succeed and declare with enthusiasm “I’ve done it! ... I fell, I was humiliated, and I was mentally scared… But I did it!”
We don’t live that way. All we are taught is to play safe, don’t take risks, just complete your study, get a degree and get a job — be part of the nine-to-five culture. Those people, who always play safe, never play the game and never succeed. One of the many synonyms of scope is possibility and life is nothing but a collection of possibilities; the possibility to open your own publishing house, the possibility to start you own event management company, the possibility to become a marketing consultant, the possibility to open your own tourism company or the possibility to be just who you are, do what you love and if people ask “why the hell are you doing it… what is it’s scope?” then simply reply “every man makes his own scope — not his degree gives him the scope, nor the system he’s living in.”
Have a happy journey through life!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is the first time I have read anything like this in a Pakistani newspaper. It gives me hope, but then I am always bound to have flights of fancy. It's just occurred to me that I might have to exchange my P preference to a more J preference. I will have to decide on a career, and I will need to stop thinking of so many options that might or might not pop up. Again, I am in a phase whereby teaching looks like a feasible option again. Hope it settles down soon. I mean, what's the point in trying for something you know in your gut you are completely incapable of handling? You're not doing yourself nor the people you plan to teach any favours. BTW, this guy has some major grammar issues! But he got his idea across. So all's well with the world.
Dreaming little fairy, dreaming all the time about stuff that was never really taught to you - God knows where you've come up with most of your theories about the world... you're really not prepared for this life, are you? Tsk tsk, what shall we do with you?
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