In Pakistan if you are a doctor it means you should know how to cure everything that breathes. Having a specialisation in the field of medicine is no excuse, and nobody wants to hear it.

Likewise, if you are a software engineer, the sole purpose of your life should be to repair old, rusty desktops in the homes of your near and dear ones. And, if you are a writer it means you are ‘certified’ to draft applications and sick notes for your younger siblings.

In olden days, a person needed to be a specialist in only one field in order to get a job, but now, in this ‘age of inflation,’ being ‘a master of everything’ is your only hope. If you want to be successful in this fast changing world, you need to keep your skills updated. Pun intended.

These days, people are commonly perplexed and uncertain about their jobs. Even those with years of work experience are out of work. The private companies aren’t hiring, and if they do, they expect to give the job to someone who is good enough to do the work of three different people who used to work there earlier.

I have observed that educated people who also boast years of work experience are now driving taxi to support their families. Some of them are even working as unpaid interns. As a fresh graduate, you might just be looking for the job of your dreams, but sadly, that illusion goes away the minute you enter the job market. And, you are likely to come out desperate enough to grab the first work opportunity that presents itself.

The government is certainly not creating any new jobs until it actually knows what it wants to do with its ministers. But the government is not even certain about the credibility of its ministers. In short, the ministers are running for their jobs, the engineers are driving taxis, the architects are busy destroying illegal properties, software engineers are repairing old computers at home, writers are busy writing ghost letters, and our only hope for survival is to become masters of everything.

Ironically, getting a job has become more difficult than establishing yourself as an entrepreneur. Yes, you could rather be a blogger, or a freelance writer or artist or even actor or director. But if you expect a proper job, you are likely to be disappointed.