Omar Farooq Shahzad
For What It's Worth

My long-term goal, in the next ten years, is to hone the necessary business and management skills that will empower me to confidently navigate the turbulent and exciting waters of entrepreneurship. My dream is to be able to guide my own technology based business enterprise from its inception to the finish line successfully. Throughout my undergraduate years I came across countless gifted students skilled in their areas of specialization. I dreamt at that time of the magic that we could create from the synergy of putting the right people together in one place, under a common vision aligned with my passion to lead a positive change in the world. My mind swirled with the endless entrepreneurial possibilities of leveraging and tapping into the potential of the long tail, e-commerce, and ubiquitous technologies to start a company, which enabled education, grass roots democracy and empowerment in third world countries. My primary obstacle at the time was the knowledge that I did not have the necessary business understanding and experience to create a sustainable business model to materialize my dreams. “Ideation without execution is delusion,” says Robin Sharma and I resolved to ensure this was not the case for me.

Having completed a BA(Hons) in Information Technology from York University, I have gained the most current IT knowledge, completed numerous projects, which provided me with insights on different software development methodologies, networks, databases, new and upcoming technologies like IBM's WebSphere and various Operating Systems environments. The rigorous and ever changing demands of the program has allowed me to be flexible and fast in assimilating new technologies, getting comfortable with them and utilizing them competently.

Working part time as a Sales Associate at the York University Bookstore, I liaisoned with all levels of staff and management. My strong communicative and interpersonal skills allowed me to provide excellent customer service and assistance to students as well as the faculty. My reliability and hard work enabled me to hold the job for a long period while still excelling in my studies. The non-stop customer interaction at my other part time job, while in school, at Tim Hortons not only tested my ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with a lot of customers, but also helped me improve my interpersonal skills. With this experience I have had no trouble getting accepted and adjusting to Rogers Inc. fast paced, dynamic and results based work culture.

There was no better place to start learning from the best than at Canada’s largest communications company, Rogers Communications. I have had the good fortune of having some of the most brilliant leaders in the industry as mentors. My love for reading and listening audio books has opened up a treasure trove of wisdom literature on management & leadership. These best practices gave me the edge I needed to succeed in the company and grow in a relatively short span of time.

I am at a cross roads in my life where I have a crystallized understanding of my passions in life: I am truly the happiest when I create, innovate & solve, serve others and am able to contribute in a positive way in the lives of those who I interact with. I am thriving in the realm of business leadership as success at each level is allowing me to realize my passions in life. In my experience with many different work environments I have learnt the importance of culture and organizational structure to the successful execution of strategy and innovation.

My short-term career goals include continuing to excel in the corporate environment. This requires a broader understanding of the business world and could take years to cultivate. I feel Schulich’s MBA offers the right blend of theory and industry exposure to ignite my effectiveness to the next level. Schulich’s MBA program with a concentration in Strategic Management, Entrepreneurship and Marketing has the perfect blend of courses to help me achieve excellence in what I do. I was accepted by this prestigious institution in January 2010, and aim to finish by end of 2012.

Post MBA I aim to utilize my MBA and corporate business world experience to consult small to medium sized businesses with in my community to help them achieve their truest potential. I will continue to strive to excel and challenge my self by looking for opportunities where I am pushed to innovate and deliver results, with in and outside Rogers, as well as my community.

My ability and willingness to acquire new knowledge, customer service and management/leadership experience, drive for personal development and academic accomplishments make me a perfect candidate for new challenge and ventures. I am hardworking, reliable, and willing to take on new and challenging tasks. I look forward to hearing any feedback, comments from you regarding my aspirations, goals, new opportunities, the website, etc.

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