An Iranian-Canadian couple from Edmonton share their strategy for success
Credit to Author: Canadian Immigrant| Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2023 16:39:58 +0000
I first landed in Toronto with my wife in 2013. I had completed my Master’s degree in Science and also worked for several years in Iran, in addition to finishing my PhD in Transportation Engineering in the U.K. Our first stay in Canada was short; we still had to take care of things back home. It was in February 2015 that we came back to Edmonton to find the city streets covered in snow. We chose Edmonton because we had some family, my wife Azam Nikad’s uncle.
From the early days, I realized the value of networking and volunteering in Canadian communities. Considering that I didn’t have a network here, I was aware that I needed to create new experiences by meeting new and exciting people. I decided to make this happen by volunteering in the community, and joining organizations related to my career.
The Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE)’s Edmonton Section was the first professional community that I joined. Their chair invited me to their monthly board meeting, a welcoming and friendly executive board that always had space for the new members. I also volunteered at the Edmonton Public Library (EPL), local triathlon and other sports events, as well as with a development and peace advocacy group.
Volunteering helped me to made connections with different people and build a strong network, in addition to getting familiar with the Canadian work environment. My involvement with these organizations provided me the opportunity to learn from them, be part of their team and expand my network. Besides that, volunteering sharpened my leadership skills, broadened my knowledge about my new home and connected me with mentorship support. Investing time in any of the above-mentioned organizations helped me build my resume and opened the doors to build my career.
Today, I continue to put myself out there and use the same strategy: volunteering and networking. My advice to any immigrant is to use these two key tools to help you find success in Canada.
Azam Nikzad
My wife, Azam, was always with me on this journey. Before coming to Canada, she worked and studied in diverse environments in Mexico, Iran and Italy, and earned her first PhD in horticulture. She pursued a second PhD in plant breeding at the University of Alberta. Following seven merit-based scholarships and four published peer reviewed articles, her scientific background and hands-on experience in the mushroom industry, she is now a technical manager with one of the biggest organic mushroom companies in North America.
Participating in an MBA program and working with very diverse teams within internal and external stakeholders across globe helped her to become an inspiring leader.
Azam stresses the importance of self-leadership for any immigrant who is looking for leadership roles. She says “Self-leadership is about managing our own VABEs (values, assumptions, beliefs and expectations) . If you are able to lead yourself and manage your own VABEs, you will be able to lead others.”
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