# The Other Side of Education: The Other Side | Iqbal Yousuf | TEDxClifton

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZVhXbsNr0w
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/yZVhXbsNr0w
Generated: 2026-02-05T17:22:50.545+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Iqbal Yousuf Sheikh tells the story of his professional journey, starting from his low initial salary of 6,000 rupees in Karachi as an electrical engineering lecturer, and emphasizes that true success comes from acquiring skills relevant to one's goals, not just from academic degrees, encouraging the youth to dream big and strive for skills that will open doors for them.

**Key Points:**
- Iqbal Yousuf Sheikh started his career as an electrical engineering lecturer in Karachi with a modest salary of 6,000 Pakistani Rupees.
- He highlights that his initial job was not in software engineering, which was his focus, but in electrical engineering.
- He recounts a significant break where a friend helped him get an interview at a large company in the software field, which led to a role in Apttech in 2000.
- Sheikh emphasizes that academic degrees alone do not guarantee success; the actual achievement comes through acquiring relevant skills.
- He encourages the youth to focus on developing skills that matter and to keep pursuing their struggles in the right direction.
- His message is that one should dream big and focus on skills that open doors, rather than relying solely on formal education.

![Screenshot at 00:11: Iqbal Yousuf Sheikh standing on the TEDx stage, identifying himself as an entrepreneur, trainer, and educator who began his journey outside the boardroom.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/yZVhXbsNr0w/00-00-11.jpg)

**Context:** The video features Iqbal Yousuf Sheikh delivering a talk at a TEDxClifton event, sharing personal anecdotes about his career transition from electrical engineering academia to the software industry. He uses his early struggles, including a low starting salary and a non-aligned degree, to illustrate his core message about the necessity of acquiring practical skills over relying solely on formal qualifications for achieving success.

## Detailed Analysis

Iqbal Yousuf Sheikh recounts his journey, starting with his early career as an electrical engineering lecturer in Karachi, where he earned only 6,000 rupees, which he states was not a good salary for the time (00:01-00:07, 01:01-01:03). He mentions that his initial focus was not in his field of study (electrical engineering) but that he later sought roles in computer science, even though his formal education was in electrical engineering (01:05-01:14, 02:11-02:15). A turning point occurred when a friend helped him secure an interview at a large company, leading him to join Apttech in 2000 (02:57-02:59, 05:52-05:54). He stresses that academic degrees, like his own, do not automatically open doors; the real key to achievement is developing relevant skills (02:24-02:27, 05:26-05:28). He urges the audience, especially the youth, to dream big and focus their struggles on acquiring skills that will create opportunities for them, stating that only skills open doors (06:34-06:40, 08:14-08:18).

### Early Career & Salary

- Started as an electrical engineering lecturer in Karachi with a 6,000 rupee salary
- His education was in electrical engineering, but he focused on software engineering later
- Had to travel from Clifton to near Sohail area for work.

### Career Transition

- A friend helped him get an interview at a large company for an electrical engineering role, which he did not get the degree for, leading him to join Apttech in 2000.

### Core Message on Success

- Academic degrees do not guarantee success; true achievement comes from acquiring relevant skills
- Skills open doors for you.

### Advice to Youth

- Keep struggling in the right direction
- Dream big, and focus on skills that matter.

![Screenshot at 00:00: Speaker Iqbal Yousuf Sheikh is introduced on the TEDx Clifton stage.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/yZVhXbsNr0w/00-00-00.jpg)
![Screenshot at 00:12: Sheikh describes his early career path, mentioning his start as a lecturer in Karachi.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/yZVhXbsNr0w/00-00-12.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:04: Sheikh recounts starting his professional life with an inadequate salary of 6000 rupees in Karachi.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/yZVhXbsNr0w/00-01-04.jpg)
![Screenshot at 02:23: Sheikh discusses how his electrical engineering degree was not the skill set he initially focused on, contrasting it with software engineering.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/yZVhXbsNr0w/00-02-23.jpg)
![Screenshot at 05:55: Sheikh reflects on his journey from 2000 to the present, training thousands of students.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/yZVhXbsNr0w/00-05-55.jpg)