Amaninder Khehra
Project Management Fundamentals Certificate
It was a cold and slushy day that greeted Amaninder Khehra in November 2005 when he immigrated from India, and as he looked around that day, he couldn't help but wonder what his new home had in store for him. As it turned out, there were some challenges ahead.
Armed with a bachelor's degree in computer science and an MBA from India, Amaninder's first priority was to find work. Eventually, he accepted a computer-related position with Nortel, only to be laid off when the company fell to bankruptcy.
At the time, he was advised to consider more education, and while he would have liked to, it was vital that he kept working. He and his father were determined to bring the rest of the family and Amaninder's new wife to Canada.
Eventually, Amaninder enrolled in an eight-month full-time program at another post secondary institution when it promised a good job at the end. On completion of those classes, he would have liked to continue his studies, but felt he had to keep working. Education wasn't a viable option for Amaninder until he found Continuing Education at the University of Calgary.
"I was surprised that I could go to school in the evenings here," says Amaninder. "That made it perfect for me." He enrolled in the Project Management Fundamentals Certificate, and completed it in approximately two years.
With a wife and baby at home, juggling full time work with evening classes required some time management strategies. "Sometimes it was hard for me to find the time I needed for my courses. My daughter was very young so if I was home, she wanted to play with me. I decided to stay an extra hour after class in the library, and used my time on transit for reading. I managed to find other free time for bigger projects."
"The program is very good and the teachers are excellent. It has helped me a lot and I know my employer is pleased that I took it," says Amaninder. "I know the best thing I've done in this country is go to school. I believe it's changed my life and my future. It has also helped me learn the country and how things are done in school here."
Since completing his program Amaninder and his wife have had a second child, and his wife, also a computer engineer, has found work.
"One of the friends I met at the university helped my wife find her position and now I've advised her to go to school and take project management as well."
So, while it's his wife's turn to attend school for now, Amaninder expects to be back in Continuing Education one day.
"Now that I'm done the program, I miss school and I want to take more courses," he says.