A newly qualified ACA looking to work in Pakistan

[kamranACA]

Dear Imran,

Being a System Application Product (SAP) consultant is something very much elevated in a country like Pakistan where every thing is scattered all around and every one has a basic wish and intention to get it to some advanced control and automated environment.

ERPs more specifically Oracle Financials and SAP are very much popular here in Pakistan and so many entraprenures having some quest of doing better are opting to use ERPs instead of un-integrated non-aligned house developed software. But the problem is that whenever one wishes to implement ERP, he has to tailor his processes to be agreed and aligned with that ERP. It's really hard to keep the processes stubborn and intact and expect from the ERP to cater them in un-modified shapes. This some times make the (lesser familier) entraprenures to get fed up from such implementation process and they start allegating the implementation teams/consultants. However, this is just an insight of what currently is being done here in Pakistan. This has no impact on the ever increasing popularity of ERPs.

You would be like gold and diamond if you will accompany SAP's certifications and on-hand knowledge along with CA from Australia. I also recommend you to get membership of ICAEW as it is currently available to AUS CAs without passing any exam. This will enhance further attraction.

As far as settling down in Pakistan is concerned, I cannot comment on it, as it is your own decision and would be based upon so many ground realities specific to you. Austraia is relatively costly country. But in so many things it is far far better than Pakistan and even europe. It is one of the safest and cool places on the earth having great edge of its location. Anyways !!!

Except for the two things i.e. Pakistan is my motherland and my parents graves are located in it, I dont have any attraction in this country. I mean if I speak straightforwardly. Yes, I love it as it is the land where I took my first breath. However, I dont forget that it is a muslim country but in most of the matters we are doing worst than all the worst non-muslims.

Anyways!!!

Wishing you a better future in Pakistan.

Regards,


Kamran.

[safy007]

Hi

It's very nice to hear that someone like Imran has same ambition as me. Kamran bahi, i really don't agree with you regarding no attractions in Pakistan. I am living in the Uk for about 5 years and i can really feel the importance and value of my own country.

Although there are a lot of problems in Pakistan, i have strong desire to return to Pakistan and contribute to its economy.

Imran, i have spoken to my Dad who is also Chartered Accountant in Pakistan, he strongly recommended to do SAP courses but i couldnot understand how it will help me in Pakistan. Could you please share you thought? I hope these courses will be available in London. How long is the course and how much did you pay for that?

I also want to do some studies before returning to Pakistan. I have some options, i have already started CFA and planning to take level 1 in Dec but to be honest i didnot find it useful and may drop that idea. The other option is to do MBA from great institution like LBS, Oxford or Cambridge. I want to do full time but with working visa, i can't do it. I may consider to do part time but that will be quite tough with work.

So i am really confused and don't know how to use my time effectively.

[imrank]

Hi,

Thanks a lot Kamran for getting back to me on my issue. I understand completely what you mean about the life in Pakistan but after considering all my other options, we have decided to come back. I want to have kids and I do not want to raise them in the Western culture.

So I gather that SAP Consulting certification would be a good idea. Safy, the SAP course here is about $15,000 AUD. I have decided to do a SAP Bridging course from one of SAP's alliance partners. It is about a 14 day course and it is half the cost. It is a much quicker way and also we will deal in a virtual project which is very real. The course starts next month and I am really looking forward for it. You can contact your local SAP office and gather information from there.

Kamran, I did go to the ICAEW website and there is a reciprocal membership for Australian CA but there is an aptitude test to pass as well. I may do that in due course, let's see.

Please share any other information with us.

Thanks a lot.

Imran

[kamranACA]

Dears,

There is no doubt that Pakistan is our own country, we sacrificed precious lives for it, and after all it provides us our own identity. The point raised by Imran regarding brought up of his kids is also very important. After all we dont have to make our next generation christian or else.

Still, where I said I have no attraction in Pakistan, it is based upon so many issues which does not make Pakistan an ideal place or a place that was dreamed by Mr. Jinnah. Yes, we love Pakistan as it is our own land and we can give our blood for it. This is totally a separate issue. Some of the pinching issues among a long list are given below for you

- severe anarchy within our country where daily we see the death of tens and hundreds precious lives.

- severe political un-stability

- due to political unstablility, so much is always endangered like, ones investment in stock market, properties or else where, shaking of ones whole future planning and decision making and always varying circumstances

- complete lack of understanding between those who r charged with governance and those who have to follow them resulting incidents like Jamia Hafsa and wazeeristan/swat etc

- total uncertainity about whether we will go back home from our work place safe and alive, specially in Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu,etc and so many nortehrn areas. Being muslims I believe that life has to end when it is written in fate, but still, we have to look at the circumstances as well

- complete lack of justice witin the country specially in allocation and division of resources. [I once recommended CBR to categorise the citizens into various classes with reference to their cities. The citizens living in those cities where all facilities like good carpeted roads, fully equipped hospitals, advanced schooling facilities, colleges and universities of diversified fields, big departmental stores, and where other top level facilities of life are available should be charged to tax at higher rates (income tax) as compared to those who are living in lesser advanced cities and the citizens who are living in lesser advanced cities should be charged to tax at a higher rate than those who are living in towns, and those who are living in towns should be charged at higher rate than those who are living in villages and so on. I recommended to classify the cities and their citizens for charging of taxation. After all government has to invest what has been taken from citizens. So where investment is utmost, the tax rate should be higher and where investment is meager tax rate should logically be meager. You must know that people living in villages dont have a single doctor in so many places to cure theirselves and their families. I stated that this will help stopping the big population rushing towards big cities creating so many problems for the managing such cities and will also attract the attention of high ups to institute development works in lesser developed areas to boost up the revenue of government as well] I never received any reply from CBR for my rcommendations while it was sent on a general request of CBR. In fact our total system is a failed system.

- shattered and ever varying/unstable policies of different governments. For example in 1972, every thing was nationalized becoz it was in interest of that government. Now every thing is de-nationalized/privatized as now it is in interest of these governments. Further, these nationalizations and privatizations are being made totally unjustifiablly. No foreign investor can have belief that any new government will not attemp to nationalize the institutes being privatized by these governments. In any such case all the stake of such investors will be endangered.

- live realities like partition of Pakistan in 1971, which always make us to feel ashamed. Our heros are the most cowardice in the world. I mean our army heros. They are just like our cricket team. As characterless and as available-for-sale as is the cricket team.

- we have the most beautiful places of the world like swat, kaghan, gilgat, hunza and bhareer/bhambhort (chitral) vallies etc. But we have never ever succeeded to develope tourism industry and we have always failed to achieve our targets. Rather, whoever comes here (like recent chinese murders and past french murders) we either kidnap him or kill him.

- in 21st century, we are facing the worst power failure in our country. Every one is bound to have his own generators or UPS systems to cope with the situation. Government proudly says that this has to be faced upto 2016 almost. And who knows what will be done after 2016. Where has gone our water reservation plan, where has gone our atomic energy commission? Big questions. Again total failure.

- we have become totally USA driven and have lost our identity (almost).

- we behave like mads as a nation. We create issues like KARGIL for our own purposes and then step back from such ventures leaving our innocent fighters (who are just slave of the order) in the hands of indians/enemies.

- any thing done by our hands speaks loudly about our dishonesty and KAAM CHORI. Just compare our production standards with any other competing country.

- ever mis-representing the facts by those who have a duty to state the truth.

- so many social dirts and deficencies have never been corrected .Despite being a muslim country, our every JAWAN looks on every girl as a commodity. We always forget that the girls are our sisters by reference to our religion and the nation who does not care for his own respect is never respected in the universe. We as a nation use liquor of millions of Rupees every year and specially on new year nites. Our every city has hundreds of brothels (modified brothels) and sex service providers. Here bodies are sold and purchased from 500 to 50,000 Rs, every day. This has never been our tradition. R we still muslims of followable belief and could we sva eour next generation from these dirts. This is a question for Imran who percieves he can better brought up his kids in Pakistan. Yes, if we close our eyes and shout "sab acha hai", then every thing is okay. What remains the difference between us and those so-called advanced nations.

So dears,

There is a very long list. We cannot even show unity in deciding when eid should be celebrated. What a country and what a nation we are. If you come down to see what happens here, u may conclude that ethically the so-called advanced nations may be better than us.

All the above discussion does not make to conclude us that we should leave Pakistan. I am living here and I prefer to live here as it is my mother-land. However, still I would say, simply as a country, Pakistan has no attraction for its citizens.

Any dis-agreement from any member of the forum would certainly base upon either different experience of life or different treatment received so far.

Or this may be due to what I oftenly say, "DOOR KAY DHOLE SUHAANEY".

Since these are my personal views, no one should be irritated.

I love my land simply becoz it is my land and not becoz it is best in the world. Thats the essence.

Regards,


Kamran.