Dual Moderator Focus Group

For students prospective of IT industry

prospects
M1; Moderator 1: Nusrah Arbab
M2; Moderator2: Muhammad Babar Khan

R1; Respondent1: Hasan Asghar

R2; Respondent2: Ayaz Ali Qureshi
R3; Respondent3: Wardah Moghul
R4; Respondent4: Zainab
R5; Respondent5: Urooba Habib
R6; Respondent6: Hussain Jaffery
R7; Respondent7: Hataf Shahab
R8; Respondent8: Anoosha Shahid
R9; Respondent9; Zarmeen Salim

Nusrah Muhammad
Arbab Babar Khan

Hasan IT
Asghar Indust Hussain
ry
Engro Jaffery
Wipro
resrch

Ayaz
Qyreshi Hataf
Shahab

Wardah
Mughal
Anoosha
Shahid
Zainab
Something
Zarmeen
Salim
Urooba
Habib
M1: Good morning every one, thank you for coming and helping us in our MBR research and being a
part of this focus group Anas will be facilitating you after.. the treats you will get after the focus
group..Amm so the nature of the focus group will be IT related ..um in interest of the confidentiality of
the topic maintained we won’t be going in to the nitty gritty of what the research is all about because of
the demand characteristics and all that .. so we .. all that you need to know that .. we have a mix bunch
of IT and business students.. so we basically will ask you questions as the It industry as the perspective
of a student as to what you think of the IT industry .. first of all start of with a question. Will you prefer a
management or an IT related job if both have an equal pay..so lets start from Hasan you

R1: I will prefer IT job because .. really flourish in this field.. in business side we can learn specific things
but in IT we can go .. we can learn many things, chose many field specially in out IT Like Software
engineering and networking

R2: I will prefer an IT related job because that’s what we do .. that’s what we are here for and basically
another thing about IT jobs is that every day you get to do new things which create new experiences for
you

R3: I would rather even though I am a BS student but I would rather go for a management job because
that where my interest lies and because I think I am really good at managing stuff and business related
something like PR like something.. IT related you really need to something be need to have the
information about .. you need to be updated with the IT stuff which I don’t think I will be able to

R4: I would rather go for a management job as well because I don’t think I m an IT person

M2: But you are an IT student

R4: Even though I am an IT student

R5: I m doing my BBA so management for me and a .. there is a lot of like different style, different
departments that you can help and you have a lot of variety so I think management

R6: Amm.. I’ll actually it will be a tough choice for me because nothing that I very good in IT but a ..it
depends on what kind of a job I get .. may be a management will be of little bit of high priority .. little bit
not much

R7 I would go for a management job because I don’t think in our country IT has performed so well that I
could .. even though it looks very bright it hasn’t performed that much so there I couldn’t develop my
skills into it

R8: I would go for an IT Job one because of the wider scope as compared to management and the other
thing is that there has been a lot of on job training and new things to discover in an IT job

R9: I would go for a managemt job because one I m a BBA student which means that I really don’t know
anything about IT. Secondly I would agree with Hataf that there has been not much development in the
sector
M1: So all of those people that is wardah zainab arouba you as well and you too to some extent .. you
guys did not opt for IT related jobs .. do you think that if you are that if you go in thins field do you have
the chances of under- employ .. not being employed

R3 Considering I am a BS student and to the fact that I am learning about it and I will end up with a
degree of BS in the end I will have some kind of skill .. IT related skill on me so I don’t think I will be
unemployed but you for a fact that if you are going for a job and doing a job but you do not like it
becomes a hassle.. if your are doing a job in which go have fun and come back .. so

M1: So basically you think when you are not working in an IT related Firm than you are underemployed?

R7: If have a degree in IT and I work in a management thing its not that I am not employed.. it’s that I
have the extra ability to do a management job and an IT job

R5: You can use your IT Skill even in management you use a lot of software.. Different types of software
and computer related stuff.. So you can use that knowledge and apply it in a management job

M1: That true but see for example over here what we are talking about is management trainee ship can
employ IT in but what I am getting from your feedback is that an IT job is not as enriching as
management trainee ship because we can employ all of that stuff that we do in management in the IT
related job is that what you guys are saying

R7: No we are saying the opposite thing . we are saying that IT .. if I have a degree of IT I will be and I go
out for a management job that does not mean that I am unemployed .. Underemployed.. My potential is
not being utilized to the fullest

M2: So to the fact that you have complete knowledge and knowhow of a software engineer.. You are
very good at programming and if you’re are a marketing manager of for example Pantene then you
won’t be employing those skills of yours

R7 But we will know he knowledge of how to .. how to go around technology

M2: definitely.. definitely you will have that specific know but you see that software engineering and
programming is a very specific job and if you are good at it or you have studied like four years for it and
you per sue your career in that specific way in which you won’t be using that specific skill .. so wont you
be having a feeling that you are being under employed

R3: If I am actually very good at programming then probably yes I feel that I am not doing the job upto
my mark .. I am not doing fair to myself because I have spent four years but if I am not that great at it
and I have spent four years just doing it for the heck of it and also probably will have a minor too so I can
per sue my future in that minor

M1 Hasan whats your take on it as you are pro pro IT careers

R1 amm … amm …Can you repeat your question

M2: The question is that if you are not working in an IT firm and you are an IT graduate then don’t you
think you are underemployed

R2: I don’t think so because we do have a minor in it so we can always per sue our careers otherwise

M2: Ok .. oh you can ok sure (sure) yes ayaz what’s your take on this

R2: I think you can apply the knowledge because if variety of subjects you are studying things like .. if
somebody is studying network .. network core computer science and he is working for a firm which is
computer related but not network related then he will not be saying that I actually wasted my
knowledge. But he applied some knowledge he has learned in the university or something then what
they are saying is with I also totally agree that we also have minors in specific subjects so we can apply
marketing skills

M1: Ok lets go on to the next question .. people who do have .. this can even . .even for people who
have answered as management trainee can also answer this .. people who had a bcs or an mis degree do
you think they have an edge over umm

M2: Normal BBA students

M1: Normal BBA students since they are specializing to some extent in a field

R3: I think so.. Think so but I they ve .. but if they have actually got the skill because you know doing the
degree doesn’t mean you have got the skill .. And like BBA is a very vague degree com .. that’s what I
think so You guys are not . Then if you are doing bcs in economics you have something you have
specialized you and you what to do ahead.. There are lot of people after BBA they don’t know what to
do they are still very confused they haven’t discovered themselves well.. so I think bba itself is a very
vague degree because I was .. if I were .. if I were to do something I would do bcs in economics and
accounts not in computer science obviously being though I am doing it but the degree I want to do is
something in economics or account so I know what the future for me ahead

M2: But you recon that it’s specialized degree as compared to bba

R3: yea

R7: But when you.. when you do specialization in any field you definitely have an over … have an edge
over the other student who are just doing everything at the same time that’s make you specialize

R5: I don’t agree

R9 I don’t agree because bba degree who are specializing in management and marketing it is to certain
extent you are not doing the IT stuff but you are learning how things working the marketing works ..
media … how you are to approach people the management.. that is not taught by IT

R5: I think .. I think a what we are not looking at is that there is studies after BBA as well so if we are
having avague degree like you said we are studying ever thing we know a little bit of every thing bythe
time we get to our MBAs we can decide you know whether we want to per sue finance and that’s were
specialization comes in

M1: I think this is debatable and both of you are raising very fine points. We have discussed the student
perspective of it, and how you people think the job opportunities are like. Now we bring the focus group
to the actuality of the situation and as to what you guys think of the outside market for the IT industry.
We start from you respondent 6, is pakistans IT industry developed enough to make full use of your
potential and youre technical skills, and the sond part of the question is do you think the jobs that’s are
available are low skilled for example call centres etc and are not high end jobs that you’d want to work
for.

R6: before I move on to these questions, im actually saying that in Pakistan we actually just look at two
things networking and sortware engineering. The thing is that IT is much broader than that,if you go
abroad you see that there are a lot of more fields. My cousin is working abroad and he’s doing
consultancy. Point being that there are more than just these two fields. So yes, IT industry is
underdeveloped. Even in IBA we’re a combination. Its more of a BS thing. It has abit of communication, a
little software engineering.and there aren’t are so many high end job, high end jobs in terms of pay?

M1: yes, and by the kind of product they make.

R6: here a very big issue of piracy, as you know all the big companies like Microsoft don’t invest here
because of this reason.so the thing is that why would I make a software that I invest in so much and the
masses end up getting it. Although I do piracy myself, but I wouldn’t want it to happen to me.

R3: I don’t think the efforts of the IT people are appreciated.

R7: In Pakistan there are either very very high end or very low end jobs which are a lot.the middle is
missing. There are not enough BS students and more BBA students actually determines the fact that the
value of technology is low.

M1: I want you to pay attention to the question, is the Pakistani IT industry developed enough to make
full use of your potential and learn technical skills, we’re talking about demand and supply, if you’re
saying there is not enough growth ,do you think we have enough hr to fill those position,or do you think
we don’t have growth and we don’t have HR?

R7: we don’t have deman, we don’t have supply.

R5: I went to Aga Khan university for my information management project,we went to the radiology
dept which is very technical. The thing is that they have developed a system which is developed by the
people at AKU.Theres growth, and there’re moving and getting rid of the file system to electritronic
system. So in that sense there is development however only a few organizations are doing this. I had a
cousin and he was very interested in IT. He opened up his own business and he’s doing very well.so
there’re people who want to do it so they do it.

M1: would you like to say something about this?

R8: see there might be a lot of scope and we might just not know about it. Its hidden so to speak. As you
talk of call centres, call centres in the true essence of it are very few.there are basically software houses,
and call centres are a part of it. TRG being a big example.people think of TRG as just a call centre,
however as the name suggests it is the resource group. It is a software developing house. There are jobs
available, but its hidden, it depends on the person actually.

M1: does anyone else want to comment on it?

R4: I’d say there is potential.

M1: on what side?

R4: on the IT side

M1: the hr side or organization’s side?

R4: on the IT side, software engineering side but in Pakistan people are not paid properly generally so
they prefer going abroad.

R8: but just last year a BS student graduated and I know the figures. And BS student was getting more
pay.

R3: even last year I know at ICI, they were just taking BS students

R7:how and where will the scope come? The scope will only come when you have interest even if youre
getting low pays

R4: you need to be passionate about it

R7: the general word is that if we get more money in IT then only will we go into IT

R5: but that happens in every job.

Everyone starts talking

R7:its really upon the series of event. If the economy is doing good, the IT will outshine if not, then not.

R3 : so that’s why we’re not affected by the economy even if there’s a slump we know that we have an
skill

M1: moving on, how many people would want to open up their own IT firm in Pakistan?please show by
a raise of hands… only one person out of ten?

R8: I think it depends person to person, I want to be a professor after I graduate. I don’t think I have the
entrepreneur streak in me.

M1: okay so except for respondent 2 over here no one wants to open an IT firm?you don’t want to be an
entrepreneur but the rest of them?
R8: see that is one option, its not like theres no potential in this sector

R7: see im not saying that, you people are getting emotional without no reason

M1: okay now we know that she doesn’t want to do it because doesn’t want to have her own business,
what are he reasons for all of you?

R1:because I will go abroad first and then I will decide on to what I want to do. Because here we have
potential but abroad we have a vast range to choose from and I can do something specific.

M1: so you’ll go abroad and open up your own business?

Respondent 1: yes

M1: is capital the main issue before you can set up a firm in Pakistan or is the need level in the market?

R2: I disagree, I don’t think that should be an issue, because before you can open up a IT firm you don’t
need a lot of capital. You just need a laptop and time on your hands.

M1: you don’t think you need a proper office space?

R2: yea, I don’t think you need all of it for an IT firm. I know a lot of freelancers who are doing it without
any substantial capital.

M1: but they are freelancers

R2: yea, but they can pick assignment locally. Most of their work is online. They don’t really need the
space. One room is sufficient.

R3 : I wouldn’t call it a firm. Freelancing is not a firm

R8: but they can grow into a firm. There are people over here who have a firm, they take assignments
internationally and give it students here. That intermediary is a firm. In IBA only we have such people
who have such firms

R2: and then it depends. You can grow into a firm and move into the developing side aswell

M1: and everyone else who said no, tell me whether it’s the need or the capital that will affect your
decision of opening up a firm.

R7: I think its more to do with the risk associated.

R6: risk is more to do with entrepreneurship. Whether it is management or IT

R7: I think it’s the gap between the demand and supply. It the need level being short there

Moderator: anything else?

R3: interest, you need to be passionate about whatever you do. With IT you need to have the
information, its like aunties who open up a parlour but know nothing about it.

M2: okay, so all of you if you get venture capital for your IT firm would you like to go for it?

R7: venture capital is being supplied by someone else, yeah? So that means that you have little capital to
yourself which means less salaries. Why would anyone want to work for less salaried job once again?

M1:this happen because you convince the venture capitalist that the project is going to be very
profitable.

R2: it would depend on the profit margins they are getting out of it

R3: there are a lot of people in this world that have talent but don’t have the jobs to compliment.

R9: we also need to take into account pakistan’s present scenario.

R7: where does IT fit in pakistan’s situation?

R9: theres a lot of issues with pakistans situation such as the loadshedding

R6: then how are you running any other firm? Such as banks

R7: banks have a lot of money.

R 6: but still how re you going to do that transaction without IT.

(Everyone starts talking at the same time)

M1: okay since you wanted to open an IT firm, I would like to ask you if your business does well locally
will you like to expand it abroad?

R2: having a branch abroad wont be that bad but for an IT firm it doesn’t really matter which country are
you operating from because its all online

M1: not even for human resource

R2: but there’s cheaper HR over here

M1: so you think the locally produced products have a market abroad, by which we mean that getting
help of the marketing research of that particular country?

R2: well no, I don’t think ill make such a move for a long time.

M1: can you name a few product sthat might have a market abroad

R2:air bnb, like you have a place to put up on rent for a night

Moderator: how many of you think there has be more put in by the government in the IT sector?
(2 Raised hands)

R 5: govt. should focus on other things, there are many other things.

R7: IT Is not a priority.

M2: entrepreneurs ?

2 raised hands)

M2: IT Schools are needed?

(3 raised hands)

M2: do you know what TRG AND SI3?

R5: call centre

R1: TRG outsources softwares

R2: si3 is a software house

M2: last question we have, I put forth two scenarios, big IT firms such as google and Microsoft come
here and exploit our potential, second one is that our local companies such as TRG develop themselves
and after satisfying local demand do they expland into the global market.which one do you think is
bettere for Pakistan?

Second option unanimously.