She had wanted to study journalism at university but was discouraged by her family. "Sylhet is very conservative," she points out, and journalism is not the traditional choice of profession for women. So Sharmin studied home economics and later went into a more acceptable job for women -- teaching -- while contributing to some newspapers. She still hopes to change her profession at some point, however, and get into full-fledged journalism, writing features and perhaps making documentaries for the electronic media.