Turning your passion into a career

Sikandar came back to Pakistan at the end of 2019 after spending five years in Germany. "I didn’t have a job, any qualifications or a source of income when I came back to Pakistan, and I had to take on casual jobs to support my family", he recalls. He does have a passion, however. Sikandar loves photography. Yet it took more than passion to turn his hobby into a career. On social media he found an advert for photography training, and signed up for it.

Studies show that being a photographer is one of the most popular jobs in Pakistan. The problem is that very few people working in this sector have the right training. The Pakistani-German Facilitation and Reintegration Centre (PGFRC) is therefore cooperating with the Institute of Art, Design & Management (IADM) in Lahore to offer a one-month photography course. This offer is intended both for returnees as well as locals.

More than just a source of income

The course is focused on providing practical and technical skills. There is also a module focusing on business development. During the course students are introduced to theoretical concepts of digital photography, and are given practical lessons in fashion, product, portrait, landscape, event, documentary and architectural photography. At the end of the course, participants receive a photography starter pack that includes a professional DSLR camera, a flash unit, a tripod and a camera bag. Those who have completed the course can apply their hard-earned skills and entrepreneurial knowledge and become self-employed as photographers.

"Finishing this course hasn’t just given me a source of income, it has also given me a qualification that earns me respect", says Sikandar. Since completing the course he has been working as a freelance events photographer on behalf of numerous photo studios, and has a good income which allows him to support his family. It has enabled him to turn his passion into a career.

As of: 02/2022

The opportunities for advice and assistance described here are offered as part of “Returning to New Opportunities”.