“I'm studying at the moment — I'm in the third year of an accounting degree at a private university in Dhaka. Alongside that, I do a few hours a week of bookkeeping for a small family business, which gives me some useful experience.”

“It's fairly busy. I usually have lectures in the morning, then I head to the library to catch up on assignments, and two evenings a week I go into the office, so by the weekend I'm ready for a rest.”

“I'd like it to be a bit more practical, to be honest. A lot of what we do is textbook theory, and I think we'd learn far more if we worked on real company accounts or did a proper internship as part of the degree.”

“Definitely, at least the core skills. Whatever job I end up in, understanding numbers and how a business makes money will always be useful — although I suspect a lot of routine calculation will be done by software by the time I start work.”

“Most days I just wear trainers, because I walk a lot between classes and they're comfortable. I do have a pair of smart leather shoes, but they only come out for weddings and job interviews.”

“Not really — I'm quite practical about it. I'd rather buy one decent pair that lasts a couple of years than several cheap pairs that fall apart after a few months.”

“Yes, once, online. They looked great in the photos, but when they arrived they were half a size too small, and sending them back was such a hassle that I just gave them to my cousin.”

“I struggled with it at first, to be honest. It only really clicked for me in class nine, when we started algebra, and after that it became one of my stronger subjects.”

“More than I realise, probably. Apart from my course, I'm constantly working out things like how to split a restaurant bill or whether a discount is genuinely a good deal — it's mostly mental arithmetic, but it's still maths.”

“Basic maths, yes, because things like percentages and budgeting are essential in adult life. But I'm not convinced everyone needs advanced topics like calculus, especially if they're heading towards something like art or literature.”

“Far more often than I should! It's become a bit of a habit, because my phone's always in my hand, but I try to do simple sums in my head, just to keep in practice.”

“Beyond the technical skills for the job itself, I think employers increasingly value adaptability. Workplaces change so quickly now that someone who can pick up new systems and cope with change is often worth more than someone with perfect qualifications but a rigid way of thinking. Communication and teamwork come a close second, because hardly anyone works completely on their own any more. Reliability matters a great deal as well — turning up on time and doing what you promised sounds basic, but it's surprisingly rare.”

“It depends on the stage of someone's career. For young people starting out, qualifications are often the only way to get a foot in the door, because they have very little experience to show. Later on, though, experience usually counts for much more, since employers want proof that you can actually do the job, not just that you passed some exams years ago. In practical trades, like plumbing or cooking, experience probably matters most from the very start.”

“I'd argue hard work matters more in the long run. Talent might give someone a head start, but most jobs reward the habits you build — being reliable, practising and learning from feedback. I've seen naturally gifted people coast along and get overtaken by colleagues who simply put in more effort. Having said that, in fields like music or professional sport, a certain level of natural ability is probably essential to reach the very top.”

“Partly it's tradition — professions like medicine and law have been respected for generations, and that reputation tends to be passed down. It's also linked to how difficult they are to get into, because jobs that need years of study seem more impressive. Personally, though, I think it's a bit unfair, since people like cleaners and care workers do absolutely essential work but rarely get the same respect. Pay plays a part too, because people often assume that a well-paid job must be an important one.”

“On the whole, I think it is. Changing jobs lets people gain a wider range of skills and find work that genuinely suits them, rather than staying stuck somewhere for forty years out of a sense of duty. The downside is a loss of security: people who move frequently can miss out on long-term benefits, and employers may be less willing to invest in training staff who might leave after a year.”

“I'd expect anything connected to health and care to grow, simply because populations in many countries are getting older. At the same time, jobs involving technology, like data analysis and cybersecurity, are bound to keep expanding. Interestingly, I think roles that depend on human contact — teachers, counsellors, nurses — may become even more valued, precisely because they're the hardest to automate. Jobs connected to the environment, such as flood protection, will probably grow as well.”

“I doubt it, at least not in our lifetime. Machines are already excellent at repetitive or data-heavy tasks, and that trend will definitely continue. But a lot of jobs depend on empathy, judgement in unpredictable situations and building trust, and I find it hard to imagine people wanting a robot to comfort them in hospital. So I'd predict a partnership, with machines handling the routine work and humans focusing on everything else.”