Introduction

Mohammad Waseeq

Self-Awareness can be marked as one of the key aspects in the case of any individual, with respect to that of career development processes. This is due to the fact that the element tends to force individuals in terms of identifying key career-based objectives. Moreover, with the help of proper self-evaluation individuals can also identify their own areas of strengths and weaknesses, which certainly is a key advantage. The study in this case develops a reflective blog, with respect to the experience gained about the functioning of the Afghanistan IT sector and evaluates whether I can have a career in the IT industry or not.

Discussion

One of the key aspects that I have been able to understand in this case is related to the fact that the Afghan IT sector, which was being considered as a successful industry of the war-ravaged nation, has been under constant threat from the Taliban due to continued conflict. I have been able to identify the fact that due to the recent political developments, Afghanistan is facing an economic crisis, and since the IT sector plays a crucial role in making the economic conditions stable, the Taliban have targeted to hamper the operations of IT infrastructure primarily (atlanticcouncil.org, 2021). Moreover, I have understood during the study trip that the Afghan IT sector can be considered as one of the key industries of the nation, within which both public and private sector-based companies have worked together in a collaborative manner, apart from generating larger amounts of revenue for the government.

However, I have analysed that the overall situation has been hampered to a large extent, as conflict levels in Afghanistan have increased with the United States. This can be marked as one of the key reasons due to which the IT infrastructure of Afghanistan has been facing severe attacks from the Taliban. It has been identified in this case that in the month of July, 2021, Taliban fighters blasted a number of fibre optic devices and system equipment at Herat Provinces, which is a key area of trade for the nation. Hence, the attack has forced the respective individuals of the area to stay without proper internet facilities. Since I have been trying to develop a career in the IT sector, I might have to switch to other nations, as the chances of Afghanistan’s IT sector working effectively in the future, tends to be on the lower side.

Moreover, I have also been able to identify in this context, that approximately 28 telecommunication antennas were destroyed across the country in the last three months, apart from partially damaging 23 of these by the Taliban attacks. Therefore, I can effectively state that the conflict has created negative impacts on the digital and mobile communication services in the country as well. Moreover, I have also observed that Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan has also been attacked by the Taliban, as the electricity infrastructure has been disrupted, which in return has made power supply extremely erratic across the capital of the nation. It has been identified in this context that approximately 39 electricity pylons which provide electric supply to the nation have been destroyed (documents1.worldbank.org, 2021). Since I have observed that approximately 70% of the 1,600 megawatts of the overall electricity needs of the nation are being retrieved through these pylons, I can state that the attack in this context has also disrupted the electricity infrastructure to a large extent. I can also state further that, some of these pylons have been completely destroyed, while the others have been partially damaged, and this is the key reason for electrical supply disruption in areas like Kunduz, Baghlan, Kabul, Nangarhar and Parwan provinces.

Despite the fact that I have not been able to identify the key attackers, I have observed that the Afghanistan government tends to blame for the destruction of the infrastructure in this context. However, I have identified that a major proportion of Afghanistan have become familiar with frequent power cuts and hence it can be effectively stated that the attack has not impacted the individuals in this case. On the other hand, I have witnessed the fact that a number of business organizations based in Kabul, have been forced to buy large power generators and invested in proper electricity backup, in terms of ensuring that a proper level of continued supply can be retrieved in this case. However, it is quite evident that the additional cost of retrieving power generators is creating an impact on the generated profit to a large extent. Similarly, I can also state in this case that smaller businesses have been impacted further, as the opportunities of gathering power generation backups are on the lower side for these companies. As per the view of Arellana et al. (2020), if business infrastructures are not ideal, the chances of gathering investments tend to be on the lower side. This can be marked as one of the key reasons due to which the chances of retrieving tech-related jobs tend to be on the lower side as well. Hence, all these reasons are also influencing my chances of working in the Afghanistan IT sector in a negative manner.

Moreover, I have understood the fact that if the conflict tends to continue at the same pace, then the additional cost of infrastructure development will increase to a large extent, and hence new investments will become difficult to retrieve. As stated by Hilhorst et al. (2021), situations within which warring factions tend to negatively affect services, the revenue generation processes of organizations tend to get impacted in a negative manner. Hence, I can analyse that the current situation of Afghanistan might force the respective IT based companies to make the decision of shutting down sites or reducing the level of investments, which certainly can deprive local essential services. Moreover, I can also effectively state in this case that the private business is not the only aspect that has been impacted by the Taliban, as the cost of developing new pylons is also creating enormous pressure on the Afghanistan government. This is because of the fact that if one of the pylons are being completely destroyed, the Afghanistan government is being forced to pay $100,000 in terms of developing a new one. However, I have been able to analyse the fact that apart from increased costs, the local citizens have been impacted severely by these incidents, as they are facing internet connectivity as well as disruption of electricity-based issues on regular occasions. It is quite evident that individuals tend to focus on the usage of communication services not only in terms of improving respective lifestyles, but to maintain proper communication with each other as well. Hence, I can effectively state in this case that telecom is one of the key public service-based infrastructures and is certainly a basic need for the respective Afghan citizens. However, I have not been able to identify any kinds of proactive measures being taken by the Afghan government in terms of protecting these essential services, that are not only being used by the general public, but are also being used by the respective warring parties.

On the other hand, in this context I can also state that the nation has been facing constant threat with respect to economic and development challenges even before this war-based scenario. It has been identified in this case that the economic conditions of Afghanistan started to slow down during the month of August in 2021, which certainly reflects improper protective measures, which have negatively influenced the critical situation further (hrw.org, 2022). Similarly, along with the tragic effects of the Afghan attack, the nation has also faced the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made the situation even worse. I have been able to analyse the fact that infection rates were on the higher side during the same interval of time, which certainly has made it extremely difficult to perform operational activities in a proper manner.

Although I have been able to identify that the nation has been able to partially overcome the situation related to economic drought, the Taliban attacks have not let the nation completely resolve the respective issues in this case. Since I have been focusing on making a career in the IT sector, the current economic and industry-based situations of the nation do not seem convincing to me. Hence, in terms of achieving my objective of getting placed in the IT sector, it is imperative for me to change my chosen nation, so that I can increase my overall chances of operating in an effective manner. On the other hand, I need to examine a few other areas in which I can get hired as an IT professional, depending on my own skills and abilities. However, in this case I need to develop proper analytical and communication skills, as I might face challenges with respect to that of language barrier, along with that of improper decision making.

On the other hand, since I have developed myself with the goal of getting placed in the Afghan IT sector, I might need to change my approach to some extent, as operational processes are bound to differ from one country to another, along with that of developing different skills so that I can increase my technical skills to a large extent. Similarly, it is imperative in this context for me to identify a proper position abroad, so that I can work with a key milestone or objective to achieve. However, this step might seem difficult for me initially, as I have no prior experience of reviewing international job boards. As per the opinion of Hartman et al. (2020), individuals who are tending to work abroad need to consider network development as a key process. This remains the same in my case, and hence I need to focus on developing a profile that is distinctive in nature. Moreover, in this case, it is also crucial for me to communicate with individuals who hire on behalf of prospective companies abroad. Similarly, since I have graduated from a university, I can focus on the usage of my alumni association in terms of creating more contacts. Moreover, I need to focus on identifying resources that can help me to find jobs around the globe specifically in my desired position. However, in this case it is imperative for me to evaluate and understand whether the companies tend to sponsor international workers or not. The strategy in this case can effectively help me to analyse and calculate the total cost I need to pay in terms of working in the international IT sector. Apart from all these, it is extremely crucial for me in this case to ensure that I am not focusing on private sector jobs only and therefore I need to identify opportunities for government-based jobs as well. The strategy in this case can effectively help me to increase my chances of achieving my career objectives, as I will not be confined to a specific job position. On the other hand, another key strategy that I might focus on in this case is related to focusing on getting hired as an Intern in abroad nations, within the initial stages. The strategy can help me to understand the overseas job market effectively and therefore I will have a prolonged time period in terms of developing myself with respect to the needs of the market.

Conclusion

The study concludes that self-reflection is a critical component in the case of any individual, as it can help to identify possibilities of achieving personal and professional objectives. Moreover, from the study it can also be concluded that it is imperative to understand market operations and needs in an effective manner, in terms of getting hired in the international market. Further the study also concludes that own competencies need to be hired with the chosen career goal or objectives. Lastly, it can be concluded from the study that effective internalisation processes need to be examined for retrieving international job opportunities.

References

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atlanticcouncil.org (2021), How the Taliban did it: Inside the ‘operational art’ of its military victory Available at: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atlanticist/how-the-taliban-did-it-inside-the-operational-art-of-its-military-victory/ [Accessed on: 5 March, 2022]

documents1.worldbank.org (2021), Afghanistan-Renewable-Energy-Development-Issues-and-Options.pdf Available at: http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/352991530527393098/pdf/Afghanistan-Renewable-Energy-Development-Issues-and-Options.pdf [Accessed on: 5 March, 2022]

Hartman, E., Reynolds, N.P., Ferrarini, C., Messmore, N., Evans, S., Al-Ebahim, B. and Brown, J.M., (2020). Coloniality-decoloniality and critical global citizenship: Identity, belonging, and education abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 32(1), pp.33-59.

Hilhorst, D., Hagan, M. and Quinn, O., (2021). Reconsidering humanitarian advocacy through pressure points of the European ‘migration crisis’. International Migration, 59(3), pp.125-144.

hrw.org (2022), Afghanistan Available at: https://www.hrw.org/asia/afghanistan [Accessed on: 5 March, 2022]