''OVATION - LOW-SKILL- VOCATIONS'' : 2/3

DEVELOPING WORLD : [We must try to understand why there is such a disparity between our thinking and that of the West and why does the behavior or attitude of students, in the developing world, change in diverse backgrounds].

One can place the blame entirely on the great cultural divide in which familial interdependency is a principal trait whereby parents in our society tend to be supportive as well possessive about their offspring.

In developing world societies, getting simple education is not everyone's forte let alone achieving very high academic degrees. Since colleges and universities are expensive there are many enthusiasts who are willing to take up ''low skill jobs'' in order to fund their studies.

One such person working as a waiter and hurt by the attitude of others complained :

''No one knows about my degree nor do they need to know. But man, it just makes me sick the way these people talk to me. Now, it's not in a nasty way, its condescending in tone. I know it's because of the work that I do.''

We are usually overwhelmed by what the West has to offer and try to emulate whatever  it does but that is more on a pick and choose basis.

Dignity of Labour, which can be observed in Europe and the US and even some civilized countries of Asia, somehow seems to be missing in most developing countries.

In these countries, people doing ''low-level'' jobs rub shoulders with executives who feel no qualm in associating with them., sharing the same table during lunch-breaks or other such gatherings.

They are addressed with respect and polite speech and not treated with disdain or with the intent of humiliation.

A Pakistani boy from an upper middle class family studying in US feels no hesitation to work at a supermarket's till or the gas station but if asked to perform the same duties in his own country, he would certainly shy away.

Having said this, we must try to understand why there is such a disparity between our thinking and that of the West and why does the behavior or attitude of our children change in diverse backgrounds.

One can place the blame entirely on the great cultural divide in which familial interdependence is  a principal trait whereby parents in our society tend to be supportive as well as possessive about their offspring.

They keep them dependent financially until they manged to get a well-paying job after which the expectation is a reciprocity of this support in their old age.

So while the parents in the old West demand rent from their own children after a certain age and require them to fund their own education, Pakistani parents continue to finance their children's college education.

Consequently, children of the west are forced to take up odd jobs from an early age that helps to break their pride as far as quality of work is concerned.

The honor and serving of latest operational writing on vocations all, continues.

The World Students Society thanks author Lawyer Huzaima Bukhari, Adjunct Faculty Lahore University of Management Sciences.[LUMS]