When downsizing shut the door on her marketing job, Suzanna de Souza didn’t let the experience defeat her. Instead, she used it. Fascinated by the human effects of corporate restructuring, she decided to restructure her life – with a career in human resources.
But now de Souza seemed to face another closed door. She needed to go back to school to retrain, but she had two young children and many financial responsibilities. As she recalls: “I wanted an intense program that would provide the skills and training I needed, but couldn’t stay out of the market too long as it would get really expensive. I also knew I needed flexibility in order to make it all work.”
In this case, however, the door opened – and the BCIT School of Business was waiting on the other side. Unlike traditional institutions with bricks-and-mortar classrooms only open on weekdays, BCIT doesn’t force students to squash their busy lives into impossible schedules. Via part-time studies, classes in the evenings, on Saturdays and online, BCIT provides flexibility for even the most demanding schedules.
Which de Souza’s was, to put it mildly. To obtain her HR diploma, she attended BCIT full-time for a year. Meanwhile, as no daycare fit the hours she needed, she opened her own. “I hired educators to work there, and I handled all the administrative and business functions. This gave me time, helped with daycare costs, and I knew the children were in good care.”
For her business degree, a requirement of the certified human resources professional (CHRP) designation, de Souza then switched to part-time studies. “I was able to complete my degree within a year through a combination of evening classes and online, self-paced courses. This also allowed me the opportunity to work as a career transition coach at Optimum Talent. I was able to gain the skills and experience in that space and work to make a living while obtaining my degree. It’s great because I truly understand what my clients are going through and can present new options to them if they need to also address an education or skills gap.”
Having “great program advisers and program heads” made all the difference. “I would let them know when I needed more time, or if a day class wasn’t going to work for me. We found ways that I was able to attend classes or catch up on lectures and still be able to write all my exams and hand in my assignments while juggling my other priorities.”
For de Souza, the most memorable and empowering part of her time at the BCIT School of Business was the access to industry experts currently working in the field, as well as the dynamic network of fellow classmates. Both helped her gain a competitive edge over other job applicants.
“I think a lot of graduates would say the same thing: the collaboration and accountability that the team dynamics offer are very real-world. It’s like working in a team environment in a corporate situation. The presentations, the project work and the assignments and even the pressure that come along with delivering on all these things become second nature to you. So when you graduate, you’re job-ready.”
Something else de Souza learned at the BCIT School of Business: “Sometimes the most creative solutions are born from challenging life situations.”
A new immigrant finds challenges – and solutions
In 1995, newly arrived Iranian immigrant Neda Hessamy had the similar sensation of confronting a closed door. Hessamy had earned an associate degree in medical laboratory science from Mashhad University. But to work in the same field here, she would have to go back to school and study the same thing over again.
Too boring a prospect for Hessamy, who likes fresh challenges. Computer jobs abounded but they didn’t feel right, either.
Then she looked into accounting – and knew she’d found her career match. “In accounting everything needs to be balanced. It is always an interesting challenge, like solving puzzles. Accounting suits a personality like mine.”
As with de Souza, traditional, restrictive-schedule institutions wouldn’t work. Hessamy had a young child; she was also holding down a job in women’s retail.
She started taking part-time courses at the BCIT School of Business. After 10 years she obtained her accounting diploma.
“BCIT was very supportive. The programs, the tutors were so helpful and fit my life so well that I was able to manage it. It took a long time, but my belief is, never give up,” says Hessamy, now U.S. tax manager at Manning Elliott LLP, Vancouver chartered professional accountants.
“When you finish one course it’s so rewarding that you want to do more. Every day you learn something new, you grow.”
When the 10 years were up, her circumstances were different, Hessamy says. “My daughter was grown up and my English was a lot better.” Again, BCIT was flexible: whatever schedule works, it accommodates. This time Hessamy opted for full-time study. In a year she earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
Like de Souza, she appreciated the up-to-date teaching and insights of professionals working in the field. At one point, relates Hessamy, “I was working in accounting but I didn’t have a degree yet. I was doing some stuff at work, and then at BCIT the instructor was explaining, and I thought, ‘Oh! So that is why we do it this way at work.’”
The life balance of learning and fulfilling other responsibilities isn’t easy, she warns. “But with the BCIT School of Business, it’s possible.”
