Bridging Academia and Industry – Expert Guidance Session for Career Clarity in the AI Era

In today’s rapidly evolving, AI-powered professional landscape, students often face uncertainty about what skills to develop, how to learn effectively, and how to translate academic knowledge into real-world careers. Recognising this growing need for informed direction, Akal University, through Akal Business School, organised a focused online career guidance session for students of MBA, BBA, BCA, and B.Tech programs.

The session aimed to provide clarity on learning pathways, decode current industry expectations, and help students align their academic efforts with long-term career goals through insights from both industry and academia.

Industry Perspective – Learning Beyond Tools and Certifications

The industry perspective was delivered by Mr. Pritpal Singh, Principal Architect at Kyndryl, who brings extensive experience in enterprise architecture, AI-driven solutions, and digital transformation. With a professional journey that includes senior leadership roles at IBM, Mr. Singh has worked extensively on enterprise-scale platforms and real-world business implementations.

Setting a highly engaging and student-centric tone, he began the session by asking students what they wanted to learn and the challenges they were facing. This interaction helped align the discussion with genuine student aspirations.

He spoke about the growing role of Artificial Intelligence in modern organisations and introduced Microsoft Fabric as an example of how data, analytics, and AI converge in real business environments. His key emphasis was clear—true learning comes from understanding real-world use cases, not merely collecting tools or certifications.

Academic Perspective – The Power of Strong Fundamentals

Complementing the industry view, the academic perspective was shared by Dr. Asma Iqbal, Associate Professor at Nawab Shah Alam Khan College of Engineering and Technology. A senior academician with over two decades of teaching and research experience, she highlighted the importance of structured and disciplined learning.

Dr. Iqbal stressed that conceptual clarity is the foundation of long-term success. Once fundamentals are strong, adapting to new tools and emerging technologies becomes significantly easier. Addressing student queries, she highlighted the strong career potential of combining Data Analytics with SAP FICO, especially for students inclined towards business, finance, and enterprise systems.

Her advice encouraged students to master concepts, understand real-world implementation, avoid shortcuts, and then confidently move towards internships and professional certifications.

Key Learnings from the Session

• Build strong conceptual foundations before focusing on tools
• Learn through real-world applications and industry use cases
• Avoid shortcuts and prioritise depth over speed
• Use industry–academia collaboration for informed career decisions

Empowering Students Through Industry–Academia Collaboration

This guidance session reinforced Akal University’s commitment to preparing students for the future by bridging academic learning with industry realities. By bringing together experienced industry professionals and seasoned academicians, the university continues to empower students with clarity, confidence, and career-ready skills in an ever-changing professional world.

Connect with the Speakers

Mr. Pritpal Singh (Principal Architect, Kyndryl)
Dr. Asma Iqbal (Associate Professor)