Muzaffar Mian

Certificate in Professional Management

When Muzaffar Mian came to Canada he immediately found work. For a long time, he managed three jobs at once, convinced that going back to school would be too hard for him to manage. But one day, it dawned on him that multiple jobs wasn't the best answer.

"This money isn't going to give me anything," he thought to himself. "I need to learn.'" That realization was the motivation that brought Muzaffar to UCalgary Continuing Education. Today he is a graduate with a Professional Management Certificate, which he hopes will help him move into a management role in the future.

Having both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in computer science, Muzaffar believes the courses have given him the "soft skills" he needed, which have helped him in his professional and personal life. As the captain of his Cricket team he is in charge. "In cricket, the Captain is everything," he explains. "If he tells you to move from point A to B, you have to go ... but you have to be respectful to your teammates in the message."

Muzaffar took courses both online and in class and although he says, "I'm an old school guy so I prefer the face-to-face or in class sessions," he enjoyed learning in the online classroom from people outside of Calgary. "It gives me confidence that what I like, most people like as well."

The quality of the instructors is what kept Muzaffar to continue his studies, although he found some instructors were tough. "There are some that I thought were a little tough... but that's probably because their expectations are higher than the expectations I have of myself. Maybe I have to push harder a little bit."

It was self motivation that got Muzaffar over the finish line. "You can achieve anything through self motivation," he believes. "And I'm not a quitter ... I won't quit until I get to where I see myself."