Professor Imtiaz Malik

When I was at your age, say some 37 or 38 years ago, I didn't know anything about career guidance and distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant information. When I became a teacher in 1991 the first thing I did was start career guidance in my college as well as in coaching centres. At that time very few had any idea about this. The point which I  realised later in my life is that in a society like ours one has to get this guidance by himself. Now, there is an abundance of guidance and information all around you, you just have to Google it, but now the problem is different and complex and I think again that very few are bothered about it. And that is to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant information or questions. Like in cricket it is very important to decide which ball to play and which to leave, which to stop and which to hit. Similarly, in studies in particular and life in general, it is pertinent to recognize what information or questions are relevant and what a...

Interestingly, everyone is different from each other but despite this glaring fact, people tend to compare one to another and one's self to others. Role models are created and have been portrayed as people everyone should learn from, like they are the benchmark or pinnacle of something and everything. And this has caused great frustration and anxiety in the ones who start comparing themselves with such so called role models. Each one of us is a unique creation of Allah and should be thankful for that. The best way of improving our own unique kind is to compare one's self with one own's self daily. With such a comparison and a conscious effort to improve daily will we bring out the best version of ourselves. Once an author said that few things we can't change and few we can, so one must concentrate on things which he can change in himself and change them for the better.