Program helps new Canadian map out future career

Two years ago, Asmar Hashimli left Azerbaijan to join her husband in Canada, with little idea of how she’d build a career in her new country. But since enrolling in SFU’s Business Management Certificate program, she says, everything has begun to fall into place.

Although Asmar brought seven years of marketing experience to Canada, she found she couldn’t work or study without obtaining permanent resident status. As soon as she became a permanent resident in 2023, she wasted no time in joining the SFU program.

“The program helped me a lot,” she says. “I started working as a freelance digital marketer after I began taking this program.”

Asmar chose the Business Management program because it covers several aspects of operating a business in Canada, from starting a new company to understanding how finances work. Through the courses, she’s discovered how her marketing work fits into the bigger picture of her clients’ business strategies and goals.

“Thanks to these courses, I can ask the right questions,” she explains. “I know where to start and what questions will lead me to the right decisions. I’m seeing some good results.”

Aside from making her a better marketer, says Asmar, the program has opened her eyes to a surprising new career possibility.

“I never believed I could do this before, but it turned out I have a special talent for business finance,” she says. “My instructor helped me a lot on this journey. And now, I know I won’t have to choose between marketing and finance in my future career. I can integrate both, thanks to this program.”

Asmar was able to take advantage of the StrongerBC future skills grant, which is helping her to complete the program at a faster pace. While she says the Business Management program has been perfect for her needs and she might have enrolled eventually, the grant gave her the incentive to start right away—and to finish quickly.

“It’s been a lot of pressure to finish in one year, when you can normally do it over five years,” she says, “but I’m really enjoying it.”  

Asmar adds that she’s grateful all courses in the program are delivered fully online. If she’d had to juggle commuting to a campus with homework and her freelance job, she explains, her schedule might have been unmanageable.

Although Asmar is currently two courses away from earning her certificate, she says she feels as if she’s already reaped its rewards.

“It’s made me believe in myself more,” she says. One day soon, she shares, once she’s established her career in Canada, she hopes to start her own business.

“This program has ignited that spark,” says Asmar. “Before I wasn’t sure I could achieve this. Now I have a clear roadmap of how to achieve my goals along the way. The program has given me all the insights I needed.

“It’s exactly what I was looking for.”

By Kim Mah