Should Engineering Graduates in Bangladesh Stay or Leave for Greener Pastures?

This is the second part of a series on the prospects of engineering graduates in Bangladesh. You can read the first part here. 

Most engineering graduates cannot pursue higher education, so a large chunk of students opt for domestic options–which are limited and unattractive. These are:

• Govt engineering jobs (posting usually outside major cities)
• Private engineering jobs (posting usually in Dhaka or other major cities)

Engineering Jobs in Bangladesh

 Pros:

1. More time with family and peers: When you live in the country, no matter how far you are posted, you can always contact your family for legal assistance or simply for closure. Whenever you face adversity, your family is only a bus ride away. On the contrary, if you screw up while abroad, you have to deal with it on your own.
2.  Meaningful connections with locals: In today’s climate, networking and social goodwill are critical. You stay in the country with people who speak the same language and follow the same traditions. As a result, these people will be easier to approach, and the connection will last longer.
3. Easier to get blended with the job environment: You are already accustomed to the job climate here. More than a decade of academic education has taught you everything to look out for in an interview or while in a workplace.  Usually, before traveling abroad, students need to research these policies themselves before getting on the plane.
4. Less expensive procedure: Everything is less expensive at home. Documents for job applications (forms, stamps, testimonials, and gradesheets) and job application fees are much more easily accessible. However, in most developed countries, these procedures are many times more expensive than in Bangladesh.

Cons:

1. Dull and unchallenging work environment: The jobs are dull and unchallenging. The graduates find themselves overqualified. Oftentimes, the job description requires a diploma engineer, rather than a BSc (Bachelor of Science) engineer. 
2. Low entry-level salary: Private engineering jobs have a very low-level entry salary and long working hours. Both sectors are infamous for their bad working conditions and less cooperativeness between coworkers. 
3. Bribery and nepotism: Bribery and nepotism are very prevalent in government sectors. So if one doesn’t have connections with political leaders or government officials, it’s quite hard to get into a government job, especially for freshers.  
4.  Lack of Technology makes Jobs Boring: Our country lacks new technology and innovation. This could cause graduates to not find either private or public jobs in this country to be attractive.
5. No funding for innovations: Even if young engineers try to develop innovations, the backward mindsets of the authorities do not allow them to do so. so the brightest and most innovative graduates often do not bear any intention to work in our engineering sectors.
6. Time and resource-consuming application process: A good chunk of government engineering jobs have limited seats and therefore every candidate must go under multiple exams which are extremely time-consuming and mentally exhausting. These exam preparations take a lot of time and resources, and therefore they will not be independent of their parents anytime soon.

Prospects of Studying Abroad

The list of cons may make many prospective engineering graduates to opt-out of searching for jobs inside Bangladesh. The options at this point are very grade-dependent, however, the cutoff marks for each place vary. The west offers more flexibility about CGPA, and there are more options with a range of accepted scores. The option for students at this point could be:

• Flying abroad (most of them never return)
• Becoming a university lecturer (most of them also fly abroad but after a slight delay)

Pros:

1. Better job opportunities: Developed nations offer a higher quality of education and vary in different fields of expertise. 
2. Chance of getting scholarships:  Most applicants get scholarships. First-world countries like the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, and European nations offer generous amounts of scholarships with work permits to Bangladeshi students.
3. Better lifestyle and income choices: Better lifestyle and income choices as foreign countries treat talented and industrious youths with proper salaries. 
4. More freedom in every aspect of life: Bangladeshis who fly abroad to study and work often enjoy more freedom than they used to have in Bangladesh. This allows them to practice freedom of speech, religion, lifestyle etc.
5. Better research opportunities: Many foreign universities offer a variety of courses that are not available in our country. Bangladesh has a serious lack of proper investment and infrastructure in research and higher studies. So, for research-oriented people, perhaps a shift to foreign countries would not be a bad decision.

Cons:

1. Much more expensive lifestyle: Even after getting scholarships, one might need added financial support from home for the remaining tuition and/or for living expenses.
2. Transition in daily life: Transition from life in Bangladesh to life in a foreign nation would come with a lot of sacrifices and adjustments. Getting accustomed to a new culture and work ethic is not easy.
3. Long and expensive procedure before departure: An excellent academic result does not affirm your position in foreign lands. Bangladeshi students undergo various international tests like GRE, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL etc. as requested by the universities that they are applying to, and the tests cost quite a sum. The visa process is also long.

Where one chooses to reside after graduation should be a decision taken by the individual and the family. The decision should be based on a rational consensus among every member of the family, as this impacts them too. Furthermore, one’s decision should never be imposed upon them. This stage in life fixes much of how the individuals’ futures would look like. Therefore, the final decision should be one with which they are comfortable.