I believe that every individual should constantly set goals, personal and professional. Although these goals may change with time, the main ingredient to success lies in the proper layout of solid plans and foundations, while constantly monitoring the progress, displaying persistence and resiliency to reach one’s objectives ethically and responsibly.  Risks and initiatives are part this adventure and whilst nobody likes to fail, failure is a natural step in the right direction if and only if one can draw the right lessons from that experience.

My initial plan during my mechanical engineering undergraduate studies at the American University of Beirut was to apply for graduate school; however, due to circumstances, that meant putting my family under a considerable financial burden.  Even though I was offered all the support by my family, I opted against it.  Instead, my new plan was to seek professional development and financial independence that would lead to graduate school.

Thus I left Lebanon the country I grew up in leaving behind me my safety network and my comfort zone nevertheless I was armed with a goal and a promise of new experiences.  For the next 8 years, my adventure took me to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar where I was the Sales and Marketing Engineer for a pre-insulated pipes manufacturing company, the Progress Engineer for an oil & gas contractor, the Business Development Manager for a district cooling provider and the Technical Sales Manager – Middle East for a desalination start-up.  I purposefully sought to be exposed to different industries in my early career to gain a wider, more diverse and well-rounded experience.  This has come in handy especially when I took on commercial roles as I was able to draw from my engineering background and technical experiences to perceive the commercial world from different perspectives and angles.  Some of the highlights of these 8 years were living and working at a remote industrial area, getting introduced to the business world, work related achievements and development.  However, it wasn’t only limited to professional matters, I was also able to travel to some of parts of the globe and experience different cultures (South East Asia, Europe and North America), take on scuba diving which very quickly developed into my favorite hobby and experience life in a multicultural city like Dubai where expatriates from about 200 nationalities reside.  Alas, I wanted more! Enter Vancouver and Sauder School of Business.

I wanted more professional development, I wanted more diversity, I wanted a bigger adventure.  My goal is to make my way into the business world and have positive impacts on the companies I join.  For that, I need an MBA training that would provide me with the adequate managerial skills, discipline and edge, business-making decision tools and the certification that would brand me a business professional with an engineering background, rather than an engineer with some business experience.  These attributes were one aspect of what drew me to the Sauder School of Business, the other and more important was the process that Sauder followed in its teaching philosophy; hands on, experiential, global immersion, creativity, professional and leadership development.  What more is that I will be surrounded by a diverse student body, professors and staff that I am certain I’ll be learning a lot from as well as sharing insights from my own experience.  Adventure? Vancouver is the place for it, whether it is innovation, intellect, international cuisine, festivals, art, outdoor activities and the list just keeps on going.  I am looking forward to the next 16 tough, intense and challenging months, 16 months where I will learn and experience the modern business administration concepts and equally important learn and discover new aspects of myself.

By the end of 16 months, I will not only gain an MBA degree but also friends, colleagues and a network for life.  You know what?  I think I have already gained a few of those even before the official start of the program.

This is the start of the third phase of my life, a phase that will surely open up many more!

Welcome to the third phase of my life.