Michael Delaney
Environmental Management Certificate
When Michael Delaney's wife agreed to be transferred to Calgary by her employer a little over a year ago, Michael decided to give up his Vancouver-based scuba-diving business and find a new career direction. His first step was to find an educational program that could give him a new knowledge base.
"I wanted something in an environmental related field," says Michael, who soon discovered Continuing Education's Environmental Management Certificate program, and immediately enrolled in courses both online and in the classroom.
"I really enjoyed the mix of formats. I liked attending the face-to-face classes, but also liked the flexibility of the online courses. That was important to me, as I was also fitting in some scuba diving work in Calgary at the same time," he explained.
"The broad base of subject matter in the program is excellent. The core courses give you a strong foundation and then you can choose your options based on what interests you. And since the instructors are all working in the field, they have great expertise."
"I definitely learned from my classmates as well," says Michael. "Many students were already working in the field and had experiences to share, so many different views would emerge in the discussions."
Michael moved through the Environmental Management program at a quick pace - approximately one year. "In my busiest semester, I did four courses at once," he says, but admits that it was an overly demanding schedule.
He completed the certificate requirements at exactly the same time that the oil and gas industry was moving into a downturn. Undaunted, and happy to continue his learning, he took advantage of the transferability in his program, and enrolled in the Health, Safety and Environment Certificate program.