I am currently project coordinator for a development north of Steeles called World on Yonge. It consists of five high-rises – an office building/hotel and four condominiums – with around 900 commercial units.
I went to school for 12 years in Iran. At the University of Tehran I studied civil engineering, construction and structural engineering for four years. Then I did a two-year master’s degree at the same university for environmental engineering. I worked for 15 years before I moved to Canada.
The first thing I did was take Ryerson University’s project management bridging certificate for middle-level managers with a technical background.
When I came to Canada I had a plan, but everything totally changed. I thought I could find a job in one or two weeks, but everything here differs too much from the way I worked before, so it was better for me to study and know the culture from bottom to top.
I had five or six years in management at that time, so it was a good option for me to get my project management professional certificate. The program was really good, condensed and short. It was hard to finish nine courses in four to five months, but it helped me find my career path.
I didn’t have any clue about Canada, but my brother lives here. I decided to move here because of him – that was my only motivation at the time. I read so many articles about the quality of life and how Toronto is one of the best cities in the world, so I thought it might be a really good choice.
I found a job at a UPS Store for the first six months while I was taking nine courses at Ryerson. That helped me focus. I hadn’t been in school for a long time – I was working and had a house in Iran. Everything was in order.
When I came here I became like a schoolchild. I was working hard and studying hard. I’m 36 and was 34 when I came to Canada. Always it’s good to go back to school and sit on the bench again, because it makes you really focus. When you’re young, you think it will always be like this and you’ll always be young.
The middle-level managers certificate not only involves project management. The first course was all about communication. All immigrants need to know how to write, talk and communicate in a different culture. The other course was leadership. The first thing I learned from instructor Anna Maria Rosada was how to know myself, my strengths and weaknesses.
I learned so many soft skills: how to talk, how to stress words, how to use your hands and body language – so many small things I didn’t think about before. Back home I’d find a job in the blink of an eye. It’s all about communication and knowing people, and I didn’t know anyone here.
When I went for my interview, the president of the company asked, “How many years of experience do you have?” I said, “I have 15 years.” He said, “Do you how many years 15 years equals here? Zero.” That was a shock, but I trust him now. My 15 years of experience helped me, but I still feel like a junior here.
When you come to a new country, everything is new and you have to work hard, but that’s okay because I knew that before I came.
