For computer science graduate Heet Narechania, his 첥Ƶ education took place as much outside the classroom as inside.
Through four paid work/study jobs and 16 months of paid co-op, the international student from India developed vital skills and useful contacts for his future career.
Narechania recalls arriving at York feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement at the idea of entering university and the Canadian workforce. York's – paid, on-campus job opportunities for eligible undergraduates – offered him a way to build connections and skills and helped him prepare for work-integrated learning in future years of study.
Through the program, students gain work experience at one of York’s three campuses during full-time study, and can apply as early as first year. These opportunities offer a way to develop essential professional competencies with the support of a supervisor’s one-on-one coaching.
In his first year, Narechania worked at the Centre for Student Community & Leadership Development, which helps new students transition to university life. As a student engagement ambassador, he provided information about the University to students, guided student clubs on their operations and developed social media content to promote the centre’s offerings.
Each week, the centre’s team members met to discuss their plans and progress, and Narechania was given an opportunity to lead one such meeting.
“That was important, because it helped me build my abilities at communicating and presenting, as well as my social skills,” he says.
The positive experience led Narechania to subsequent work/study positions with York International, the Office of Sustainability and the Office of the University Registrar. In these roles, he applied his technical skills to help build data analytics dashboards, track service interactions and improve process workflows.
During his final work/study employment, his supervisor Tom Osborne, assistant director, academic scheduling at the Office of the University Registrar, encouraged him to think about the future. “Tom was my biggest cheerleader,” says Narechania. “He introduced me to people who might help me find a full-time role after graduation.”
Narechania leveraged his experiences and network to apply for his first co-op job, successfully earning a 12-month position as a business analyst with Hydro One.
“The skills I developed through my work/study roles supported me throughout the co-op application process,” Narechania says. “I was able to confidently share real examples during interviews.”
That confidence translated to on-the-job impact, where he helped lead an end-to-end legacy system upgrade project that impacted over 9,000 field staff users. Working closely with his project manager, Narechania was involved in the project from its initial planning stage to the project’s development, UAT (user acceptance testing) and its launch. Work-integrated learning, he says, prepared him for these real-world challenges.
Today, Narechania reflects on how much he has changed since his arrival at York four years ago. “My work experiences complemented each other. I feel skilled, more confident and more comfortable entering the job market.”
With his sights set on a career as a business analyst or tech consultant, he’s keen to use the technical expertise he acquired through experiential learning opportunities at York.
“The work/study roles gave me knowledge and confidence to be ready for employment,” Narechania says. “They were nurturing spaces to learn how to meet the expectations of employers.”
With files from Sharon Aschaiek