It was customary in Syria to meet a student or university graduate who works in a non-professional profession, such as a taxi driver, especially in the capital Damascus. However, it was rare to find a doctor working overtime in another profession. Medicine was the “dream” of many Syrian families because of the money they generate and their social status, but this has been changed by the war and the economic crisis.
In the morning, a doctor, but in the evening, an accountant
“I hide from my family the nature of my work and lie to them,” Nawras told Syria TV, a dentist who currently specializes in jaw surgery. Nawras graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry about two years ago and is currently training in his specialty in one of the hospitals of the Ministry of Health affiliated with the regime, and in the evening, he works as an accountant in one of the ready-made food shops.
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Nawras is ashamed of himself because he only practices his profession within the hospital. His inability to secure money to open his own clinic and the difficulty of finding a doctor who allows him to train with him and develop his skills, and as a result of the high cost of living and the insufficient salary he receives from the state during the period of specialization, he was forced to work as an accountant in one of the fast food restaurants so that he could manage his affairs until he finishes his specialization and returns to his village or finds a job opportunity abroad and travels.
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Nawras forced himself to work in a field far removed from his profession, but Mahmoud, who is also a doctor and is still in the specialization stage, refused to work outside his field and could not manage a job in a private hospital like the rest of his colleagues. Therefore, he offered his colleagues in the hospital to replace them on their night shifts in exchange for a financial wage they agreed upon.
Mahmoud is sometimes annoyed by doing this but compares the pros with the cons. On the one hand, he will get extra money and on the other hand, he will gain more experience than his comrades.
Engineers too
The same is true for Haya, a Faculty of Communication Engineering graduate who found that she would use her experience in makeup, work at home and prepare girls for weddings and events.
“It wasn’t easy at first, and I suffered a lot both in terms of many accepting the fact that I am an engineer and a hairdresser, but I finally succeeded,” Haya tells Syria TV.
For Haya, she will spare no chance of resigning from the job of a “miserable” state, which she says does not offer her experience or expand her field of knowledge, so she has been employed in a place where she does routine work that any baccalaureate degree holder can accomplish.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
