As I relive the memories of my time at McMaster University, which unequivocally were the four best years of my life, there were many lessons learned. These lessons helped shape me to be the individual and professional I am today. As I fulfill my role as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and as the President of the Canada Pakistan Professional Association (CPPA), I am filled with endless gratitude for those who continue to support me each step of my career. Although I am firm believer in fate, to get to the position I am blessed to be in today, I have worked tirelessly over the past several years; most importantly, during the four years I spent at McMaster University. Let me share with you the five key lessons that I learned during my undergraduate years which set me up for “success” soon after I graduated. As a student, if you align yourself with the five lessons learned below, I am hopeful that you too can fulfill your dreams and desires post-graduation.

As I look back at my life, every failure/success achieved, emotion felt and decisions made, I have no regrets. I am who I am today because of past experiences. This blog post is a reminder that in order to set yourself up for eternal success in the future, you must not only fight through obstacles in the present but also learn from the hard fought battles in the past.

Welcome to 2013! For some, this year will be a continuation of accolades and achievements from 2012. For others, 1/1/13 marked the first page in a new chapter of personal triumph and success. What is to be written in this new chapter will be driven by three essential traits: passion, dedication and commitment. Although the two stories above are very unique, one of which is a continuation of success achieved in 2012 whilst the other is a clean slate to a new story to be written in 2013, both carry the same message: 2013 is the year for you to stand out amongst your peers and colleagues.Read on to find out how you can turn this “New Year resolution” into an everyday reality by following three personal tips which have made me stand out from my peers.

How many times have you heard someone tell you to “be confident?” Whether it has been before an interview, networking session or an exam, I have been told many times, “Fahad, just be confident. That’s all that matters.” But what does that even mean? I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have heard, and told, students the same thing because it always sounds like the right thing to say. How exactly does one just “become confident?” I do not know about you, but I don’t have a button on my body labeled “confidence” that I can just turn on and off as I please. Lucky for you, I know that recruiting season is fast approaching and your interview with PwC (fingers crossed) is right around the corner. That is why this blog post will teach you how to turn the “confidence switch” on the next time someone tells you to just be confident!

Failure: a topic that many dislike reading about and more so, a topic that many dislike experiencing. Whether you have previously failed an exam, an interview, or any other situation that you have crossed paths with, you must realize that failure is inevitable. Everyone has failed at some point in their career and everyone is bound to fail at some point in the future. I am no exception. Regardless of however much I have “achieved” to-date in my career, I have failed multiple times in life. Failure has made me the relatively “successful” person I am today. Dealing with failure for the first time is not an easy task, but once failure is overcome and dealt with face-to-face, there is nothing in this world that you should fear, not even failure itself. Read on to find out how I have capitalized on personal failures and how I have turned them into success stories that hopefully you can learn from!