It is often mentioned in motivational speeches that the Chinese word for “crisis” is composed of two characters representing “danger” and “opportunity”. Ever since I learned about this, I have been trying to find the opportunity in any major change in my life even if all I can see is the danger. Growing up in Turkey in a somewhat “protected” environment close to my family and friends, I was free from crisis. However, in 2007 after I graduated university, I faced the first major crisis of my life. I decided to move to Vancouver to pursue a diploma in business management. This move was not only a big move in terms of distance from home, but also in terms of leaving my safe, crisis free environment. Moving to Canada meant being completely on my own away from family and friends. It meant leaving everything behind and going to a completely strange place where I didn’t know anyone. Not to mention having the language barrier in the beginning and the general uncertainty of my life at the time. But, business management in Canada was the opportunity I wanted, so I went for it anyway.
After finishing my business education in Vancouver, I was lucky to find a good job to do my co-op as part of the diploma program that I was taking. I built some good relationships in the organization, and thanks to those people, I was offered to be sponsored by the company. I had not planned to stay permanently in Canada but I saw this as a great opportunity and a great experience that would contribute a lot to my life. Living abroad was a dream of mine ever since I was a teenager. I was never sure if it would be something permanent but the experience of living in a foreign country was always intriguing to me. And there was only one way to find out if it would be something that I would like permanently or not, so I decided to stay and see it for myself. 6 years later, here I am starting my MBA at UBC as a Canadian and I am incredibly happy that I chose to stay and live through this experience as it helped me become the person I am today: worldly, cultured, empathetic and much stronger than I was before.
Following my graduation from university to this day, I have had the chance to work for different employers in two different countries. I feel especially very lucky to have had this opportunity for I believe it is a great experience to see and compare different work cultures and ethics and it gives one a better understanding of global corporate culture.
It has been an exciting and interesting journey so far and I believe I have managed to find the opportunity even in challenging situations and turn them to my advantage. And even when I couldn’t see past the danger, I have looked at it as an experience and a lesson to learn. After all, we learn from both the positive and negative mistakes and experiences in life, and the important thing for me is to keep learning and improving. Throughout my entire experience in Canada so far, remembering that there is opportunity in danger, has been the biggest thing that has shaped me to move forward with choices I have made, paths that I have taken and remains my general approach towards life.