When life takes you in a direction more aligned with who you are than what you are doing, it often pays to swim with that tide.
Karan Nijjar discovered this when he graduated from Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario in 2018. He had acquired work experience as a student events coordinator and campus ambassador during his studies, and decided to yield to his natural interest in this field. That decision quickly led to career opportunities and travel destinations beyond his dreams.
Karan came to Canada as an international student in 2016 from Punjab in northern India, and completed the two-year chemical engineering technician program at Loyalist College.
He had planned to go to an engineering college or university in India after finishing grade 12. But as he was writing his entrance exams, some of his friends were considering other countries for postsecondary education, and Karan had a sudden change of heart.
“The level of competition in India is really high,” explained Karan. “After putting in the work, you still don’t make the cut because that cut is around 98 to 99 per cent.”
He won a lot of essay writing and debating contests, but was still not above the requisite ninety-five percentile. Upon reflection, he realized that he could explore more opportunities by studying abroad.
Karan’s application was accepted at Loyalist College, and he began volunteering on campus from his first day. Shortly afterwards, he became an enrollment services student ambassador at the college, and held that position until he graduated.
While working as a student ambassador, he was introduced to the guard.me Campus Ambassadors Program. He volunteered as a campus ambassador for eight months, and learned event coordination and creative ways to share helpful information with international students. He still uses these skills in his current role, along with the reference letter he received to support his job applications.
When Karan began looking for jobs in his field of study, he recognized how all the part-time work he had done in student affairs related more to his personality than chemical engineering.
He decided to pursue his passion for this work and was offered a contract position as the recruitment summer events coordinator with the college. This led to a contract role that allowed him to travel throughout Ontario and eastern Quebec, presenting to prospective college applicants and attending student recruitment fairs.
At that time, Karan was in the process of applying for permanent residency and needed a permanent full-time job. An opportunity materialized at Albert College in Ontario in the form of an enrolment management associate, supporting student admissions and recruitment for domestic and international students.
Throughout the next two years, he travelled to seven countries to recruit students and build partner relationships; and received his permanent residency in October 2020. Six months later, he was back at Loyalist College to start working in international admissions, which eventually led to his current full-time role as their international admissions officer.
Karan now oversees admissions processes for over seventy programs across both campuses, and also works as a part-time professor in the school of business.
Looking back at his journey in Canada, he is very content with his career choice.
“International education is a billion-dollar industry, and there is lots of growth and opportunity. I enjoy guiding international students in their decision-making and being part of their journey.”
He came to Loyalist College with an ambitious heart and navigated his way around various organizations, foreign embassies and countries. He found the career that he wanted—just not in the way he expected, but better than he had imagined.
“Because I now work in education, I understand the value of good grades. But success is much more than your grades, and has to do with your personality, how confident you are with public speaking, and how easy you are to work with.
“I hope that aspiring international students read my story and understand that you can be comfortable with taking calculated risks. You don’t have to be afraid to walk a different path because the most beautiful things in life are on the other side of fear.”
