We used LinkedIn’s filtration system to ascertain the countries, industries and companies where graduates of Pakistan’s top universities end up. The current HEC ranking can be found here, and its nonpartisan is debatable. More so because the HEC has approved numerous degree farms that create droves of graduates incapable of basic English comprehension, but also because the rankings don’t reflect the true ROI of an education – the ability to learn, unlearn, adapt to change and of course, add value to the company joined.
So it goes without saying that the data presented is restricted to graduates that are members of LinkedIn, which eliminates an unknown number of alumni whose careers are not reflected here. It also worth noting that due to the resources at hand, we were unable to distinguish between professionals that earned certificate, executive or full degrees – case in point, I have an executive education certificate from LUMS and am considered as an alumni member.
Since universities are reluctant to share their alumni directory data openly (for reasons unknown, but we can speculate that accountability of degree ROI is something 99% of universities want to avoid), we are unable to cross verify the findings with whether some members on LinkedIn truly did or did not attend the universities they have claimed to. That said, the instance of someone faking information on LinkedIn, especially with regards to education, is rare.
Finally, its possible that some universities have more than one campus, SZABIST for instance. We are classifying these outliers in the provincial category of its founding. In simpler terms, if the university was first formed in Sindh, they will be classified as such.
So here are the findings:
PUNJAB
– Lahore University of Management Sciences
Companies: NESTLE, SCB, Mobilink, Telenor, Unilever
Countries: PAKISTAN, USA, UAE, UK, Canada
Functions: Sales, Finance, Marketing, Research, Operations
– University of Punjab, Lahore
Companies: Mobilink, MCB, Bank Alfalah, Warid, Descon Engineering
Countries: PAKISTAN, UAE, KSA, USA, Canada
Functions: Sales, Operations, IT, Accounting, Enginnering
– National University of Science & Technology
Companies: Telenor, Ericsson, Mobilink, ZONG, PTCL
Countries: PAKISTAN, Zimbabwe, USA, UAE, KSA
Functions: Engineering, IT, Research, Operations, Media & Communication
– Lahore School of Economics
Companies: Nestle, Mobilink, MCB, CCBPL, Bank Alfalah
Countries: PAKISTAN, USA, UAE, UK, Canada
Functions: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, HR
SINDH
– Karachi School of Business & Leadership
Companies: CCBPL, Nestle, AKU, Meezan Bank, Mobilink
Countries: PAKISTAN, USA, UAE, UK, Canada
Functions: Marketing, Operations, Sales, Finance, IT
– National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
Companies: Systems Limited, Teradata, Ericsson, Huawei, IBM
Countries: PAKISTAN, USA, UAE, UK, Canada
Functions: Engineering, IT, Consulting, Operations, Sales
– Institute of Business Administration
Companies: Nestle, Mobilink, MCB, CCBPL, Bank Alfalah
Countries: PAKISTAN, USA, UAE, UK, Canada
Functions: Sales, Marketing, Operations, Finance, HR
– Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology
Companies: SZABIST, UBL, HBL, PTCL, NBP
Countries: PAKISTAN, UAE, KSA, USA, Australia
Functions: IT, Sales, Operations, Engineering, Finance
Its worth noting that despite forming in 2009 and only have two graduating batches so far, KSBL’s alumni have successfully earned MNC level placement within selective & limited trainee induction programs.
Instead of relying on age old uncle tales, you should recognize and respect that every university has its own niche. You should pick your university depending on where you want to work, which industry and which function. This should serve as a rough, yet data backed, guide on your best-fit destination. Click here for Part Two.
Featured image credit: lums.
