Happenstance - Being there at the right place at the right time

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

You know this tune, right? It's from Robert Frost's famous poem, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." In fact, these lines make up the final stanza of the poem, where the speaker moves past the snowy woods and focuses on himself and his own situation, this reminded me of my thought processes upon completing my undergraduate studies. In my previous blog, I spoke about what brought me to Ivey Business School’s Master's in Digital Management Program. I also walked you through my peripatetic lifestyle; the downside of living in 5 different countries in 5 years has its own price tag and for me that was instability. However, coming to Canada and studying at Ivey Business School feels like I am taking a pragmatic step in the right direction. Somehow, it feels like I am at the right place at the right time and here is why:

1. The long-term recruitment opportunities in Canada

An exceptionally substantial proportion of international students with an Ivey MSc Degree find job opportunities in the fields that they are passionate about. Let it be consulting, marketing, eCommerce, or Finance – Canada offers a plethora of opportunities. The post pandemic recovery in the Canadian job market has directly amplified the extent of full-time job opportunities. As shared before, Ivey Career Management, Ivey brand name and your newly developed skillsets will position you effectively to seize these opportunities.

2. Proficiency in English and French

Talking about my educational background, English was my first language throughout my academic trajectory, alongside Hindi and Telugu. During my undergraduate studies at ESSEC Business School and work experiences in France, I developed full professional proficiency in French. This helps me stand out amongst the crowd as I speak the official languages of Canada, alongside other prominent languages.

3. The paperwork is easier than it seems

Over the last few years, Canada has become a magnetic education hub and its immigration policy has been friendly towards international students. For instance, this year Canada is planning to admit 431,645 permanent residents and this number is set to steadily increase until 2024. Moreover, international students from certain Designated Learning Institutions (DLI) such as Ivey Business School are also eligible to stay back in Canada post studies through the Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP). Why does this matter to me?

Firstly, I have studied in Singapore, France and The Netherlands and it was almost impossible to secure both full-time recruitment and appropriate permits, in fact in France they had to prove the government that there is no one in the European Union who could do the same job as me, to get the visa. Whereas, In Canada if you fulfill certain requirements for PGWP, you can stay here after your studies.

Secondly, as an individual from 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Canada is home to over 1 million people from this community and is one of the safest countries to live in. The country provides equal rights and opportunities for people from this community; hence it played a significant role for me choosing Canada.

4. Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

One of my litmus tests while applying at Business Schools in Canada was looking for how many people of color do I see in their cohorts and alumni. It is surprising that one of the first things we all seem to do is look up and around to find people with whom we have a shared identity – be it nationality, age, industry experience, race, or ethnicity. At Ivey Business School, there is a growing South-Asian community and multiply that by ten when we speak about Western University as a whole. I am part of the UWOHSA (Hindu Students Association) which connected me to the brown community in London, Ontario. During my coffee chats with industry experts too, I was pleasantly surprised to see a sheer representation of brown people in the top companies.

Not to forget, Ivey is a safe space for individuals from 2SLGBTQIA+ community and there are several student clubs in this domain at Western University. The cherry on the cake, is the fact that many Canadian companies have realized the importance of EDI and has taken effective measures in making workplaces more equitable, diverse, and inclusive. As I am approaching recruitment, I have noticed that several companies are encouraging applicants to be proud and include their race, ethnic and sexual orientation in their application instead of excluding it.

All these vital factors coupled with my passion for bridging the gap between technology and business has led me here. Hence, I am at the right place at the right time.