How we define success? Does success really mean the same to all of us? What exactly success is? How one can get success? What role I, my family and social circle can play in my success? Have I equipped myself for the greater success? What part of myself and my life play a significant role in my success? Does failure has any relation to success? What values, skills, and capabilities should I have for getting success? One must ask these questions and should explore answering these question. When it comes to wisdom, education or knowledge is not the only factor but there other important aspects of life that makes us wiser and well equipped for the success!
I should refer here to the education system which focuses on only the knowledge part of the success or wisdom. In my 6 years of learning and development experience with academia, job sector and individuals, I have observed a very important gap that exists in the education sector of Pakistan. I always define success as the combination of two factors; 1. Knowledge and 2. Skills. In my hundreds of talks and training sessions, I have always focused on these two because knowledge without skills is very unbalanced and ineffective for success. I see academic institution more focused on the traditional way of transferring knowledge without focusing on graduates or students to impart job market needs skills and exploring their talent. While working with the job sector, I have noticed they are very focused on the skills part of the graduates and hire such graduates who have skills or have polished skills even if they have low grades. If we go back to our school and college system, our education system lacks in providing and equipping children with basic life skills and no such initiative are taken to bring out students talent, and give them proper directions for future. I have been working with institutions and I have not seen a single institution providing career counseling and planning services to the students.
The graduates are unable to write their own CV, they are unable to impress the employers and they lacking market needs based skills due to which either they are either unemployed or underemployed. Majority of the individuals working across the sector are lacking some basic skills needed by the same market. Students, graduates and even employed individuals are lacking in basic IT skills which are basic to career success in the 21st century. Due to no exposure in the market, they struggle a lot which makes them hopeless and frustrated. The quality and skill-based education are lacking due to which students and graduates are facing so many challenging in their career success and in reaching their goals.
Success is beyond getting a degree, success is more than getting a job so success is achieving and reaching your defined goals of life. It’s not only education that makes us success but its the exposure, experience, and skills we have that make one more successful and be wise enough to spend quality and prosper life. Along with education we should focus on identifying, polishing and enhancing skills, capability, get market exposure and equip self with market need based skills, make a very effective network of friends and professional, keep a mentor in life who can guide us, and develop self as a well trained and highly skilled individual who are productive for self, family, community, organization and off course for the country. The institutions should also be focused on equipping the students and graduates with market-relevant skills along with knowledge. The government should also design and implement such strategies to ensure quality in the education system and equip graduates with all needed skills to be more employable and be effective and produdctive. As an individual it is also our responsibility to plan career with a clear vision, know self as much as we can, develop skills along with education, get exposure in the market and regions, make an effective network of professionals and friends and keep learning and improve self, and learn from failures will make us more effective and successful.
