“Your Career Advisor” is responding this week to:

• I am clueless, could you advise me on two things ?

• Should I study IT despite opposition from some family members ?

• What are the employment prospects of an Indian in Cairo ?

• As an infrastructure network engineer, what is my salary in the job market ?

• What is your advice for me with regards to an MBA ?

• Can you advise a depressed mass media student ?

All reasonable questions related to careers, skill development or employment related issues – sent to advisor@skill-link.com - would be addressed in this section every week.

Q1: I am clueless, could you advise me on two things ?

I wish if you could have few minutes to read my problem because I'm really in a desperate need for career / professional advice . I am sorry to tell you that my e-mail won't be a short one, yet I'm hopping you'd be able to read it out:

It is the first time for me to seek advice; and I hope that you can help me. I am a 26 year old Egyptian female who graduated from Helwan University with a degree in Tourism & Hotels. I have excellent English & PC skills.

I have been working for the last four years as a Secretary (Assistant Office Manager like) in one of the large private sector companies in Egypt, I have gained a lot of experience in the secretarial, administration work and advanced rapidly in my position. I believe it is time for a promotion but I would like to ask for a title that doesn't include the term Secretary , is that possible? And if yes what do you suggest this title will be?

I am also requesting your advice in some HR courses I should enroll in, to pursue an HR career move in the future so as to gain more experience in both Administration & Human Resources.

M. S. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Ms. S.

Regarding your first question, as your skills develop and you assume more responsibilities you may progress to roles with the same or new position titles. In some organizations we know of, the Executive Secretary of the Chief Executive Officer (Chairman, Managing Director, President etc…) manages his office, appointments, trips, arranges meetings, follows up with various managers on tasks assigned to them, conducts some research, prepares presentations, sometimes speeches for her boss etc… In other organizations, the job title may change to: Executive Assistant, Head of the Technical Officer, Information & Follow Up Officer etc.. Executive Secretaries / Officer Managers would sometimes move on to perform totally different tasks, assuming responsibilities in the Administration, HR, Customer Service or Operations areas, hence the title would change accordingly.

As for your second question, there are short courses in human resources and there are preparation courses for professional HR certification. The two best known in Cairo, would be offered by the AMCHAM (American Chamber of Commerce) in Suliman Abaza Street in Mohandessin; and the American University in Cairo's CACE (Center for Adult and Continuous Education). You may want to contact them or visit their websites.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q2: Should I study IT despite opposition from some family members ?

My question may be odd for you, since I'm having my American Diploma this year.

Two years ago, I decided to study Pharmacy at university. This month I started to change my mind. I'm thinking of entering the IT field but I am finding an opposition among my family. They are saying I won't find a job easily in this field as I would find an easier one if I'm graduated from Faculty of Pharmacy.

Some people advise me to join Communications Engineering or Computer Science. I'm intending to join the IT Department of the Faculty of Computer and Information at Cairo University.

Please tell me if it is a good choice.

K. G. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Mr. G.

You are a bright and smart young man, since you are carefully weighing your options at such a relatively young age, to reach an objective decision, without the influence of family or social pressures.

Having said that, let us tell you there are no good university studies or specializations and bad ones. They are all needed, what does make a difference are you interests, in other words where you find yourself or what gets you excited. You know yourself better that anyone else.

However, if we must compare between studying pharmacy and IT in university, we tend to disagree with the opinion of some of your family members. The range of employment opportunities within Egypt or abroad, salary growth opportunities and career advancement; tend to be in favor of IT studies. In general, a Pharmacy graduate would either work as a pharmacist in a pharmacy, in sales or marketing in a pharmaceutical company or, if he/she is academically strong get into university teaching. These are tracks you may or may not be interested in. On the other hand, graduating with a degree in an IT related discipline such as the Faculty of Engineering (Telecom or Electronics sections) or a Faculty of Computers and Information… this will allow you to get into a wider range of jobs and move between them (eg. You could be in software development, networking, database design & administration, telecommunication, sales, hardware technical support etc….). After a few years of working experience you may become a technical expert, a project manager, an IT Manager or head the sales function of an IT services or products company. You should also note that IT & telecom skills are easily transferable between countries; and since the IT & telecom sector is one of the fastest growing in both advanced nations and developing countries, skilled resources are always in demand. US, British and German statistics reveal these countries have a shortage in skilled IT professionals, and they have special programs to award work permits for those with such skills. This does not mean we are telling you that studying IT is the right choice for you, what we are saying, is that all other things being equal, and if you are interested in information technology and communication, then it is a very promising field for the coming 20 years.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q3: What are the employment prospects of an Indian in Cairo ?

I am a 30 year old Indian lady presently based in Cairo. I have an MBA degree and some work experience in consumer finance and investment banking.

Working in consumer finance in an Indian company, I had primarily a marketing role including credit appraisals, maintaining documentation etc. Then in Dubai, I worked in investment banking, where I administrative functions related to investment products, I also assisted in the launch of a branded investment product.

I have been on a maternity break for the last 2 years and I am now hoping to get back to work. Therefore I have the following questions:

1. Can I find a suitable administrative opening here in Cairo ?

2. Do banks / financial institutions employ foreign residents or are there any legal restrictions ?

3. Also, do I need to update my skills since I have been on such a long break ? If yes, could you suggest something ?

S. B. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Ms. B.

We do not often receive inquiries from Indians in Egypt J

Is it easy for you to find a job opening for you in Cairo ? no it is not easy, at the same time it is not impossible. The name of the game is to prove to a potential employer that you have a competitive advantage over Egyptians for the same position. Foreigners, including Indians would be hired in Egypt for a specific technical skills they have, or if it is a joint venture (eg. An Indian joint venture) where being fluent in the language and familiar with the culture would help. The same applies to banks and financial institutions, they would be interested to hire a non Egyptian, provided they have a good reason to do so. As per Labor law, companies can hire up to 10% of their staff from among non Egyptians, provided they make a case to the Labor office that such a person is bringing badly needed skills that cannot be found locally (this is not a difficult task), and that an Egyptian will be trained to replace them once they leave (more of a formality to satisfy the Labor office). So, again it all relies on being able to convince an employer.

Having been on maternity leave for two years, it does not mean your skills have rusted. This is a situation faced by many working mothers and is normal. Updating your skills through studies, training courses etc.. would always be a plus, however, it is difficult to provide you with a specific recommendation since we and you are not sure in what area you may end up working.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q4: As an infrastructure network engineer, what is my salary in the job market ?

I am a computer engineer who graduated in 2001 from Misr University for Science and Technology with a grade of "Very Good" with honors. I have been - for a little less than a year and a half years - working in a local Egyptian company that executes IT projects that involve infrastructural networking, hence I am an infrastructure network engineer, reporting to the project manager. We are currently building enterprise networks for a ministry, covering 30 floors, and these networks contain: computer local area networks (LAN) which include more than 2,800 data nodes (passive, active), a telephone network which includes more than 3,100 telephone nodes (passive), TV satellite network which contain 90 nodes (passive); CCTV network which contains more than 160 camera nodes (passive).

I have gained experience in cable paths designing, termination of cat5e & cat6 connectors, patch panels and IDC for telephone termination, Analyzing copper and optical fiber cables and connectors with fluke cable analyzer, labeling systems and rack organization, managing labors and equipments needed, configuring Cisco 2600 series routers, catalyst 4500 series, PIX firewall 525. I also have experience in computer hardware and compatibility problems, and working on MS office.

In light of the above, I would like know what is my average salary in the market.

A. S. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Mr. S.

Well, congratulations, your message is the most technically detailed one "Your Career Advisor" has ever received from among the hundreds of inquiries sent to us in the last 5 years J

However, due to the nature of your job, you needed to provide us with much of the above information to allow us to provide you with objective advice with regards to your salary. You probably know that your skills and experience are in 'hot' demand in Egypt and the Arab region. While we do not know how good you are at what we do, and if your work ethics, professionalism, dedication, attention to details etc… are outstanding or not (important factors in salary determination), we will assume you are above average in all of these fronts. Hence, a job offer to you – today – should be in the range of LE 2,500 per month (gross, before deducting taxes and social insurance). You would be advised to also obtain a professional certification (eg. CISCO certification), which should allow your salary after another year of relevant experience to jump another LE 1,000 on top of the figure we mentioned.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q5: What is your advice for me with regards to an MBA ?

I've been in the IT business for quite a while and I am now working in a top multinational company. In order to improve my career I decided to make further studies, and the advice I got from every one was for me to go for an MBA (Master of Business Administration). I made some market research and came with 5 places in Egypt that provide an MBA degree:

·       OUDA and I have no information about it.

·        Knowledge Academy, but I hate self studying

·        Arab Academy, but the MBA is not accredited

·        RITI, which is great but, who said I am interested in finance, marketing, or globalization!

·       AUC, which is now my final escape as I know there is a major of "Management of Information Systems" which is exactly what I need, plus it is a good University and staff...But I've heard that this is EXPENSIVE, so

What do you advise me ?

Any info about OUDA ?

About the AUC, do they offer any scholarships ?

A. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Mr. A.

Your message misses important pieces of information: how old are you ? what is it you do in the IT business ? and what was your undergraduate degree ? What are your interests and career aspirations ? Knowing such facts would have been of a lot of value to us in attempting to provide you with objective advice. Hence, we are not in a position to confirm to you that pursuing an MBA is the best thing for you to do.
Nevertheless, we will comment on some of your findings:
Do not overly concern yourself with accreditation, as long as you are not planning for an academic career or obtaining a Ph.D. later. What you are seeking is developing your skills in the various areas of business and management. That is what an MBA (a good one) is for.
Whether RITI or other, any MBA program around the world must provide courses addressing finance, marketing …. in addition to strategy, human resources, organization, management information systems, and many other topics. Hence if you are not interested or willing to study marketing, finance and learn about globalization… why are you considering an MBA in the first place ?
The list of MBA programs is not complete, there are others currently on offer in Cairo. For instance there are the following:

• The Arab Academy for Science & Technology is offering more than one MBA program, these are in association with Rennes Business School (of France), the ESLSCA (École Superieure Libre Des Sciences Commerciales Appliquees) also of France, this is the one that OUDA used to offer, and a third MBA which is local, in other words not in association with anybody.

• Nile University of Technology (NileTech), sponsored by the Egyptian Ministry of Communication & IT started to offer an Executive MBA in 2005 in collaboration with Barcelona's IESE Business School (a very reputable European business school).

• The German University in Cairo has just started to offer an MBA program. It has already held orientation sessions for interested students.

Such programs are not cheap, their total tuition fees range between USD 6,000 and USD 9,000 depending on the program. They also require dedication and hard work. Therefore before you make a final decision, you must seriously consider why is it you need to enroll in an MBA program ? will you invest the required time and effort ? can you really afford it ? and is it the best use of the money ?

There are other considerations you may with to reflect on, such as where the classes are held ? for instance if classes are held close to where you live and work. In comparing between programs, saving 1 hour of commuting (each way) could be valuable.
As for the MBA scholarships at the AUC, you may want to check the Abdellatif Jameel scholarships offered for Engineering and Business degrees. Information should be available on the AUC website.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

Q6: Can you advise a depressed mass media student ?

You must be very upset .. well I read your reply to the message that asked why you weren't updating "Your Career Advisor" on a weekly basis as you have been doing for years. You said that the average number of visitors to the site did not change and that people even don't try to bother themselves to send you a thank you letter after your advice ..or reply to them. Well I guess you are right, so bad to find no appreciation from people you helped.. but I want to tell you that people kept checking for the updates … and I am one of them. Your way of replying is interesting, that's a compliment.. so smile:).
Well I did sent you a message before.. and then you stopped updating.. so it's just you made me feel like.. mmm.. I am talking to one of my college doctors..

Now here is my problem: I am a 2nd year female student girl in Mass Media (Cairo University.).. my major is advertising and public relations...well my whole problem subject is going from the idea that I am being so ambitious.. I have drawn a plan to build my own skills.. I already started learning graphic courses.. and I am learning some basics about advertising & marketing in college. But this isn’t enough.. In our field of work (our.. as if I’m a professional !) we need a pretty good experience, in other words no company would take a beginner in our field.. ok .. why am I talking about that now?

Because.. if I couldn’t start gaining some experience while am still in college.. how
could I find a job when I graduate ? I went on for few months searching for a training
in advertising and marketing agencies in the research field.. It’s always the same word.. if u don’t have a "wastah" then don’t think about having a chance ! ..Imagine listening to this very same word through about four discussions daily between different agencies..
I’m a young little ambitious girl who wants to have a part in building a creative future..
I know I have the ability to learn and create a lot.. My communication and languages skills are already fine as ma professors say . All am asking for is a chance.. I am not asking for an employer to be totally free to teach me.. no ..just an hour daily to give me headlines & I’ll manage myself through the details.. I am so good in my researches already as my professors say.. just thinking that all am asking for is a training chance…& I can’t find.. so what about when I search for a job..?

Our professors are the ones who encouraged us to search for a training .. but just how ? if we are knocking on closed doors that seems like we don’t even have their keys.. between the reality & the future.. tell me please is it really that if I don’t know someone who would help me (wastah) that means I shouldn’t even consider searching & getting myself depressed….answer me please ..because I did discuss it a lot with different people.. it seems like a hopeless future for the youth like us.. are we going to keep knocking for so long.. won’t some one hear us & allow us inside..?

Sorry for the long message.. and thank you for the advice in advance....

N. (Cairo)

Replying:

Dear Ms. N.

Your very kind words are always going to be treasured… thank you.

Now let us dive into your problem, and to start with please note that we disagree with you on the 'wasta' issue, unless you were applying for jobs at government or public sector entities. In the private sector, little 'wasta' exists… and we know this for a fact. The problem in our opinion is due to the fact that managers are busy, and they have little time for interns or part time staff like you. They would rather invest in people they have hired and that are full time with them. In other words it is not impossible, but difficult. Also, you did not inform us about the types of jobs you were after or the organizations you approached. At this phase of your life, do not be too selective, just get into a professional environment and work, even if it is temporary in summer (as you know some companies have peak demand for staff during the summer season) or during exhibitions (such as Africa Telecom last year, where we placed a number of people for a week). Market research firms periodically have a need for temporary staff to conduct surveys, we sometimes get their requests, are you registered (did you leave your CV for the purpose of a temp job) with the three main multinational market research firms in Cairo: AC Nielsen, TNS and Synovate ?

Similarly, if you like writing, you can free lance for some publications (we do not believe magazines such as Kelmetna and Teenstuff would mind your contribution, also we know that a new weekly is soon to hit the stands in Egypt, it is called "Cairo"… you may wish to contact them). If you want to free lance and train with skill-link.com, you could contribute articles to its "Interest Zone" the online magazine addressing employment, skills, training events, scholarships, success stories etc… while they may not be able to pay you a regular salary, you will at least train and have a valuable addition to your CV.

On the more general topic of wasta, for full time jobs, again, outside of government and public sector… companies pay a lot of money to recruitment firms to hire good staff… if 'wasta' was the rule, why should they be wasting their money ? The same applies to job vacancy ads in newspapers (specially in Al Ahram)… around LE 1 million worth of vacancies are published every week, are these people just bluffing ? or are they serious about their search for suitable staff ? Trust us on this.

Regarding the above subject, why don't you consider with some of your colleagues to talk to one of your senior professors to invite skill-link.com to address students of your faculty regarding employment prospects, how to hunt for jobs, tips for identifying and getting suitable opportunities etc ? skill-link.com was invited to conduct such sessions (they usually last 2 hours) by the Faculty of Economics & Political Science, Helwan University, the National Telecommunication Institute, and the Future Generation Foundation. These could be beneficial to many of your colleagues, and obvious we conduct them free of charge, as part of our social contribution to the community.

We hope the above was of some use to you.

Good Luck

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