What drew you to the Bachelor of Management program at UBCO?
Short answer, the location of the campus is hard to beat, and I was drawn to the smaller class sizes and close-knit community compared to other large university campuses that I was considering. I started my degree with the intention of pursuing a Bachelor of Education. but very quickly switched into the Bachelor of Management program for my second year after taking a few business classes and being drawn to the challenge and opportunity offered by the program.
What were your biggest takeaways from the program?
Learning to think critically and challenge assumptions. So much of business relies on soft skills, relationship building, and the ability to think creatively about abstract challenges. The BMGT program does an excellent job of shaping both the technical skillsets required, as well providing lots of opportunities to learn and explore the non-technical (but arguably more important) sides of the business world.
What was the most rewarding part of the program?
I really enjoyed the community around the program and the opportunities to participate in non-classroom learning opportunities with all the business simulations, events like JDC West, and the opportunities to build relationships with some of my professors.
What advice or insight would you give to a prospective student considering this program?
Most of us don’t have a clear idea on the direction we want our lives to go in when we start university, but we’re forced to choose a direction early on and most academic programs lock you into a specific set of career opportunities. Changing to another career path later in life if your first choice wasn’t the right fit is challenging.
“The Bachelor of Management program is one of the few academic programs that gives you both a practical, marketable skillset and lets you keep your options open to pursue many different ambitions down the road.”
What is your current occupation and how did you get there?
I have the privilege of running a rapidly growing AI fintech company called Numu Technologies. I majored in accounting for my degree and spent almost a decade working in accounting and finance for large organizations as a Chartered Professional Accountant. That part of my career took me all over BC and even overseas to Qatar, but I’ve always loved software development and the doors that it can open to solve problems in new ways. So, a few years ago I left the corporate gig behind to start building something more interesting. I now get to work with a team of CPAs that researches and develops accounting AI with a focus on responsibility. Our mission is to empower entrepreneurs and accelerate the power of teams.
Do you have any career advice you’d like to share?
Start your career by pursuing what you’re good at, not necessarily what you’re passionate about (but hopefully those two things are aligned!). But always go at it with a long-term vision in mind. Without a focused direction you’ll get stuck in a career you don’t enjoy. Learn new skills, build relationships, and try new things but make sure that every job you take, every experience you sign up for, moves you in the direction of your ideal vision for the future.
P.S. Take a semester and do a Co-Op!
What are your future career goals?
There are two parts of my work that I enjoy more than anything else:
1) Building relationships and investing in people and their growth
2) Solving problems that no one else is doing anything about.
As long as my career continues to give me opportunities to do these two things, I will have found success.
